A Little Bit of Sunshine
by Akitsune Lune
Summary: Littlefawn is Sunfire's favourite; she's thoughtful and smart... Sunfire is Littlefawn's favourite; she's enthusiastic, compassionate, and her name really should be Sunshine (It's true, Sunshine). Together in SkyClan with peace reigning, everything should be perfect... but when is life ever that simple? Slice of life shenanigans.
1. Sunshine isn't good at lying

**A Little Bit of Sunshine is a romance/humour fanfiction that, rather than following an overarching plot, will have self-contained stories within each chapter, like a one-shot book or a collection of short stories but with the same characters. The chapters will be published every time the edginess of whatever else I'm writing is too much for me and I need… well, **_**a little bit of sunshine**_**. I hope you'll join me in indulging in some pure and joyous fluff every so often.**

** I recommend listening to You Are My Sunshine as you read. On repeat if you're slow.**

_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine_

_You make me happy when skies are gray_

**Chapter 1: Sunshine isn't a good liar**

"Oh, finally, I thought there wasn't a single rose in this whole twolegplace!" Sunfire exclaimed to herself, leaning forward to nip the rich red flower on its thorny stem. "Now the question is… lots, or just one?"

She rocked back on her paws, studying the bush before her. The fluffy golden SkyClan warrior had already amassed a pile of of other flowers that sat under a hedge by the border of the twolegsplace, but there was no way in StarClan that she was leaving without a rose. Now, it was simply a matter of deciding whether a single rose was more romantic than the boughs of trees overflowing with the flowers.

_One is poetic. Dozens is beautiful._

Sunfire tilted her head, squinting at the flowers.

_One is pretty._

_ But never let it be said that I don't overdo in every situation._

Once more, she leaned forward to nip the stems of the blooms, careful to avoid being nicked by the thorns, and began to gather the roses in a pile. It was only when she had divested half the bush of its ruby blossoms that she realized that it was going to be very difficult carrying these all from the twolegs garden.

_Oops._

Shrugging, she bent down and took a rose carefully between her teeth, trying not to crush it. The eye-watering scent filled her mouth and she wrinkled her nose. _I can't carry them one at a time or I'll be here all day._ She tilted her head thoughtfully and then twisted her neck around to try to poke the shortened stem into her thick golden pelt.

After a moment of weaving her neck back and forth like a snake and frowning when the stem jabbed through her fur, the rose was thoroughly caught in her pelt. _Now let's just do that fourteen more times._

Finally, she had succeeded in tangling all the roses into her pelt, the roses hanging off her like kits on an elder playing ShadowClan-invasion. Sunfire stifled a giggle when imagined what she must look like with all the flowers stuck in her pelt.

_One more for good luck. With a longer stem, this time. _She picked one out and bit down, then flinched as another rose's thorns scraped across her nose. "Ouch," she mumbled through the stem and retreated, trying not to move too fast in case the roses stuck in her pelt dropped off.

_Now back to the rest of them._ She lowered herself to the ground and crept forward as though she was stalking a bird, aware of how the roses swayed slightly on her pelt with every movement. _Well even if one falls off, I'll have the other twenty._

Eventually, the hedge where she had stashed the daisies and lilies that she'd stolen - _harvested,_ she corrected herself with a guilty purr - came back into view and she tip-toed over to it, ducking beneath it and dropping the long-stemmed rose on top of the pile with the rest of the flowers.

Sunfire surveyed the fruits of her labour and grinned. _Perfect._

She arranged them so they were all lying in the same direction and then opened her jaws as wide as she could to take the entire pile. It took a couple tries before she'd gotten every single flower in one go, but finally she succeeded and backpedalled out from under the hedge.

Sunfire sent a silent thanks to StarClan that there was a gap in the twolegs' fence that she could duck through instead of trying to leap over it with a mouthful - and peltful - of flowers. Even so, squeezing through the hole created by the wood being worn away over time was a trial when she was trying to keep all the roses firmly in her pelt.

As she padded across the border and into SkyClan territory, she felt something dribble down her muzzle. _Mouse-dung, that scratch is bleeding, isn't it?_ She couldn't shake her head to dispel the droplets or she'd risk the roses dropping out of her pelt, and she couldn't stick out her tongue to catch the blood or she'd drop the flowers in her mouth. _Guess I'm stuck looking like I just tore apart a piece of fresh-kill like a starving rogue._

_A bloody muzzle, a mouthful of flowers, and a pelt covered in roses… I'd better get to the spot without any of my Clanmates seeing me so they don't drag me to Ripplewatcher to make sure I haven't got bees in my brain,_ she purred to herself, shaking her head as gently as she could in a failed attempt to displace the blood.

Luckily, she didn't encounter any cat in her path to the copse of apple trees near the ThunderClan border and continued on, covered in flowers and a bit of blood without interruption. When the low-growing trees came into view, Sunfire let out a sigh and dropped her flowers. They hit the long grass with a tiny puff of pollen that made her sneeze.

The blood on her muzzle flew in droplets, landing on the grass and her own chest. "Mouse-dung," she muttered, suppressing another sneeze and quickly licking her own nose before the pollen or blood could irritate it further.

Once the little red drops were cleaned off her chest, Sunfire began picking the roses out of her pelt, wincing as the thorns brought some of her golden fur with them. Finally, her pelt was free of flowers and she had a pile of blossoms in front of her.

_Now, where to arrange them?_

She surveyed the clearing and her eyes landed on one of the lowest trees, practically an apple bush. _Perfect._ It didn't take long for the daisies and lilies to be carefully tucked into the knolls in the bark, hanging out as though the tree had grown them itself.

The roses, however, were another matter entirely; the stems were too short to stick into the bark. Thinking fast, Sunfire dropped them into the dip in the wood created by the branches that split barely a tail-length off the ground. When she was finished, she frowned thoughtfully at the tree. She was pleased with how the daisies and lilies hung out of it, but the roses were barely visible.

_I need something to pack into the hole that the roses can sit on top of… moss, maybe._

Sunfire gave the tree one last once-over and then dashed out of the clearing, bee-lining toward the SkyClan camp. _I'll borrow some from Ripplewatcher. She's always got extra._

Squeezing through the bracken that framed the entrance of the camp, Sunfire headed straight across the grassy clearing toward the little stone overhang where Ripplewatcher kept her herbs and moss.

"Sunfire, were you out hunting?" Redsun, the deputy, called to her.

The golden warrior froze, then whipped around, trying to keep the guilty look off her face and failing miserably as the deputy padded over. She tried to stall. "Hmm?"

Redsun gave her a look and repeated the question.

"Oh. I- uh, no. Actually, yes," Sunfire stammered.

The puzzled look only grew.

"That is- I was hunting. But… while I was hunting, I stopped," she explained quickly. "By which I mean- when I was hunting, I decided to stop hunting… and come back to camp."

Redsun nodded slowly and backed away. "Okay… sounds good… Let me know if you're up for a border patrol later."

Sunfire nodded enthusiastically and cringed at her own awful attempt to lie. _Note to self, next time you have to lie, just play dead, instead. It'll be as convincing - if not more so._

Sighing, she padded into the medicine den and called out, "Ripplewatcher? Can I borrow some moss?"

The gray and white patched medicine cat poked her head out of the back of the den and peered at her. "I suppose. It's the last of my stock though, so tell one of the apprentices to go get more, would you?"

She faltered. "Oh- um, actually, why don't you keep it? I'll just get more myself."

_I shouldn't be taking moss from the medicine cat when I can easily get some myself,_ she chided. "I'll bring you whatever's left over."

Ripplewatcher brightened. "Thanks so much!"

"No problem," she purred and flicked her tail, retreating out of the den and back into the sunlit camp. She glanced around to make sure the coast was clear, then quickly hurried back out of the bracken and into the territory once more.

_Get some moss, catch a golden chaffinch, and get some more flowers if I have time,_ she mentally sorted through what she still had to do before dusk. _And clean my pelt, StarClan above, I feel like I was dragged through a bramble bush backwards._

Sunfire wasn't prone to worrying over her appearance and knew that there were times when she looked like she'd been rolling around in dirt all day and didn't notice, but her mother Icestar certainly could tell and after enough moons, her voice would sometimes pipe up in Sunfire's head to let her know that she looked like a rogue. It was welcome on a day as important as this. _Wouldn't do to be surrounded by flowers and fresh-kill and have a ragged pelt,_ she decided.

When she arrived at the knoll where moss grew thickly under the giant, shady oak tree, Sunfire nearly choked on her own air when she saw who was there. _Mouse-dung! It's her!_

She turned on her tail in a flash and dashed back under the cover of the trees. Her heart was racing as she peeked out from behind the elderberry bush to watch the other she-cat pick up a ball of moss, tucking it neatly under her chin, then leaning down to carry another in her mouth.

Finally, the warrior padded away in the opposite direction of Sunfire.

The golden she-cat let out a breath. _That was close. Somehow, I don't think playing dead would work if she tried to ask me what I've been up to today._

With the moss tree now clear of other cats, Sunfire hurried over and began to claw up swathes of it. _How much… hmm, this should fill the tree, and then some more for Ripplewatcher…_ It didn't take long for her to amass a suitable pile of the spongy green material and she tried to roll it into the same neat balls to… some success. She sighed at the straggly bits that hung out of the otherwise perfect spheres but tried to scrunch them under her chin all the same.

She returned to camp with slightly smaller bundles of moss, having lost bits along the way when it refused to stay under her chin and headed back into Ripplewatcher's den.

"Brought shome mosh!" she announced through the mouthful and dropped it on the ground, sticking out her tongue and wrinkling her nose at the taste. "Here you are!"

Ripplewatcher turned from where she'd been wedging sprigs of yellowish-green grass into a crevice in the stone and gave Sunfire an apologetic smile. "Actually, Littlefawn already brought me some. Maybe check if the queens need new bedding?"

_Oh, come on! Does she really have to be a forward-thinking, compassionate, kind-hearted-_ She silenced her own thoughts with a shake of her head. _StarClan help me. Stay focused._ "Alright! No problem."

She gathered up the moss once more and strolled out of the den, heading for the nursery. It wasn't until she ducked into the milk-scented alder bush that she realized she'd made a grave oversight.

_Of course she's bringing the queens a sun-high thrush or two! Of course! Because she's the most thoughtful, wonderful-_

"Hey, Sunshine," Littlefawn greeted her with a warm smile. "Want to share a thrush?"

"I have to go!" she blurted, her words blurred by the moss.

The dappled tabby cocked her head. "Oh, okay. Later then?"

"Later is yesh!" she exclaimed through the moss, then flushed with heat at her 'sentence'. "Um!"

_Play dead!_

"Are you... alright? Hey, what happened to your nose?" Littlefawn asked, leaning closer to Sunfire with a concerned glint in her eye. "You smell like roses… did you get scratched?"

_She's so smart! StarClan help me, she'll have it figured out in a heartbeat if I stay here any longer!_ "Mosh for neshtsh! Goodbye!"

She dropped the moss as fast as she could and dashed back out of the nursery, cursing her tongue. _I guess no cat will ever worry that I'm lying to them since apparently it's not possible for me to do it._

Trying to retreat into her pelt out of embarrassment, Sunfire rushed back out of camp toward the apple tree copse. _I need to practice lying to my reflection or something. Or just do a better job of avoiding Littlefawn._

She returned to the clearing and put her front paws up on the short tree, nosing the roses aside carefully to pad the bottom with moss. When she allowed the roses to return to their makeshift nest and dropped back down to all fours, she was pleased to see that they were all bundled in a pile that was visible from the forest floor. _Awesome!_

Letting out a little purr of excitement, she hopped to her paws and began to run back to the twolegsplace for more flowers. _She's gonna be so surprised! As long as I don't have to lie to her face again… because then she'd figure it out for sure…_

…

"Mouse-dung!"

The pile of daffodils tumbled back out of the nook in the tree.

For the third time, Sunfire nosed them back into a pile and scowled at the dip in the tree that wasn't cooperating. She glanced around, then her green gaze fell on long, flat piece of bark. _Maybe I could use that to kind of hold the daffodils in… hmm…_

She piled the flowers onto the lump of wood and lifted it up carefully, then dumped them into the tree. As expected, they began to overflow over the top, but she held the bark in place, barring them from falling out the sides.

_Now I just have to make it stay there…_ Sunfire huffed a laugh at her own failure to consider that the wood wouldn't float and carefully twisted her body to lift a back-leg and hold the bark in place. She hopped over a couple steps, keeping her back-paw pressed against the bark, and picked up a rose that had fallen from the other tree and replaced it in the moss.

Wind gusted through the tree and all of a sudden, the pile of roses teetered and toppled over, dropping back to the floor.

"Mouse-dung!" Sunfire repeated and, her legs quivering with the effort of keeping her balance with one back-leg up while leaning down to pick back up the roses.

She'd successfully groomed every bit of dirt and debris out of her pelt until she shone like her name, she'd managed to ask Redsun to send Littlefawn to hunt by the apple trees without breaking down, she'd gathered dozens of new flowers…

But she couldn't make them stay still.

Sunfire looked up at the sky where the fiery dusk had begun to set in, a stark contrast to the dull grays that had heralded night throughout leaf-bare. _It really is the first day of new-leaf. Just like all those moons ago…_

She remembered the nervous butterflies all day, the knowing look in Redsun's eye when she'd asked the then-senior warrior to tell Littlefawn that Sunfire was waiting by the apple trees, the call of "Sunshine?" and then later, the answer of "Yes!"...

Sunfire's heart gave a happy little jump, then she broke herself out of her memories and remembered what she was doing. _Come on, flowers, work with me here._

Straining, she lifted the last rose back onto the pile with its fellow flowers and let out a relieved sigh.

The sigh knocked the top rose off the stack.

"Mouse-dung!"

Just as she was leaning down to grab the errant rose, she was startled by a call she'd heard before.

"Sunshine?"

Sunfire jumped, her back-leg slipping off of the bark that she'd been holding in place. Right on cue, the wind blew again and the roses and daffodils cascaded out of their respective tress' nooks, all dropping directly onto Sunfire.

"Mouse-dung!" Sunfire groaned again, buried in the blossoms.

"It's Littlefawn, actually," the other she-cat corrected with a _mrrow_ of amusement. "Uh, what's going on here?"

"Nothing! Look away!" she exclaimed, poking her head out of the pile of flowers, then sneezing as the pollen tickled her nose.

"Is this for me?" Littlefawn asked, peering at the two golden chaffinches that Sunfire had caught earlier and laid on the rose petals that had come off when she'd tried to transport the second load of roses.

"No! I mean- yes! But-" She cut herself off by sneezing again. "That is-"

"Do you… need help?" Littlefawn pressed her mouth shut, her pale green eyes twinkling with amusement.

"No!" Sunfire yelped, then slipped on the bark that had managed to squeeze under one of her fore-paws and fell face-first back into the flowers. "Maybe," she mumbled into the daffodils and sneezed again.

"Sunshine, is this all for me?" Littlefawn asked, her tone full of wonder after she'd managed to school her features in less of a _I'm-going-to-laugh-at-you-until-I-cry_ face. She leaned down to help the golden she-cat out of the pile of flowers and Sunfire got to her paws awkwardly and shook the flowers out of her fur.

"Yeah… it was… supposed to be presented differently," Sunfire admitted with a guilty purr. "I was going to be sitting with the chaffinches, between trees with flowers- not, uh, drowning in them. It would have been _very_ cool."

"I'm sure," Littlefawn agreed, purring, and Sunfire couldn't help joining in. "Why all this though? Not that I don't appreciate it! This is- it's amazing, really, but… why?"

Sunfire sneezed. "Ack- sorry, pollen. Well, last leaf-bare- or I guess last new-leaf… the first day of new-leaf was when I asked you if you wanted to be my mate, remember?"

Littlefawn's eyes widened. "It was today!"

Holding in another sneeze, Sunfire nodded. "I thought it would be nice to do something again," she explained, her eyes watering as the itching in her nose intensified.

"So you-" Littlefawn cut herself off and squinted at Sunfire. "You can sneeze, it's okay."

The dappled tabby purred as Sunfire let out a relieved breath and sneezed again.

"Why don't we move away from all the pollen?" Littlefawn suggested with a grin.

"I got the flowers 'specially for-" She cut herself off with a sneeze, then began again, "'specially for you!"

"Here, we'll just go over here," Littlefawn suggested, shaking her head at Sunfire. "We can look at the pretty flowers… from a distance."

"Okay," Sunfire agreed, the itch finally subsiding as they padded away from the pile of flowers. "Sorry, I wish they hadn't fallen."

"I think they look lovely," Littlefawn decided with a purr. "Thank you, I love them."

Sunfire purred and pressed her muzzle to Littlefawn's, then drew back with shining eyes. "The finches are for you, but I won't stop you if you want to share." She winked.

Littlefawn tossed her head and purred. "How generous. Come on, let's eat!"

They sat down together, tails twining without thought and began their meal. After a moment of chewing with her eyes shut blissfully, relishing in her favourite food, Littlefawn opened one eye and glanced at Sunfire.

"So that's why you were acting so weird earlier…"

Sunfire purred. "You've caught me."

"I caught you earlier," Littlefawn teased. "How is it possible to be such a terrible liar?"

"I'm _very _talented," Sunfire answered with a grin. "Also I've discovered that flower arranging is not among my skills."

Littlefawn's gaze slid to the piles of flowers that were very much not where they were supposed to be. "The lilies are nice," she said with a straight face.

Sunfire giggled and shook her head. "_They_ cooperated."

Littlefawn joined in her purring and then rubbed her muzzle against hers. Sunfire felt her purr rumbling in her throat and closed her eyes, trying to hold onto the scents and sounds and feelings of the moment and lock them into her memory forever.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

_You'll never know, dear, how much I love you_

_Please don't take my sunshine away_


	2. Littlefawn isn't good at saying no

**Chapter 2: Littlefawn isn't good at saying no**

It started that morning, when Bramblewhisker asked her to check on his mate, Brindlethorn during the evening when he went on patrol.

Littlefawn was friends with her brother's mate and was more than happy to agree, knowing that Brindlethorn might appreciate a different face during one of her many check-ups throughout the day from her overbearing mate. Bramblewhisker was… enthusiastic about becoming a father, to say the least. It was a good thing Brindlethorn was so patient and easy-going, Littlefawn reflected, or she'd have a brother with no ears.

Redsun had already sent out the patrols for the day when Littlefawn woke up. The sun hadn't reached the nest she shared with Sunfire way at the back of the warriors den and she may not have woken up for longer still had it not been for the raindrop that _plop-_ped onto her nose from a hole in the den. After moon-high patrol, she was glad she'd at least gotten the chance to sleep in a bit.

She yawned, enjoying the last drowsy moments of warmth and sleep before another raindrop dive-bombed her nose and she sneezed, fully awake.

The white and brown tabby got to her paws, stretching and sighing as she shook out her legs before heading for the camp. Littlefawn stepped over Shortflash, who was still snoring softly and tucked up in his nest and padded out into the sunlight.

"Morning," she yawned again to Bramblewhisker as he hurried past her with fresh-kill.

"G'morning, Li'lfawn," he greeted her brightly through the bluejay. "I wanna ask you something but gimme a heartbeat."

She cocked her head, curious, and waited as he dashed to the nursery, - _Of course_, she thought, stifling a purr - the bluejay swinging from his jaws. A moment later, he popped his head back out and returned to her with a big grin.

"How's Brindlethorn?" Littlefawn asked, knowing he was about to tell her anyway.

"She's great!" he enthused, amber eyes shining. "That's actually what I wanted to ask you about."

_If he asks for my advice with she-cats again, I'm about to have one less brother, I swear to Star-_

"Redsun wants me for evening patrol, but that's during one of my three check-ups on Brindlethorn," he explained. "So could you do it for me?"

"Evening patrol?" Littlefawn suppressed a frown. _It's adorable that he wants to make sure Brindlethorn's every whim is catered to, but not if he's shirking his duties to do it._

"No, the evening check-up!" He rounded his eyes pleadingly.

She gave him a look. _The kit-eyes haven't worked since we were actual kits. But…_ "Yeah, sure, I can do it. What do you usually 'check'?"

Bramblewhisker chewed on his lip thoughtfully. "Well, I ask her if she's thirsty, or hungry, or if she can feel the kits, if she needs Ripplewatcher for something, if she's lonely, or tired, or-"

Littlefawn buried her face in her paws then straightened up. "Okay. Forget it, I'll just ask about her general condition, is that okay?"

Her brother nodded with no less enthusiasm. "But make sure you ask about her nest, because once she didn't notice that there was a thorn in it until I asked, and so I got her fresh moss! She might have slept on it!"

_Yeah, there was definitely a thorn that she didn't notice until you specifically asked,_ Littlefawn thought with a private shake of her head and a sigh. _More likely, Brindlethorn's infinite tolerance for him ran out and she gave him something to do to make him go away for three heartbeats._

"Absolutely," she agreed instead.

Bramblewhisker gave her a sunny smile. "Thanks so much! I'd better go see if she finished the bluejay."

_Bless that she-cat's soul, I don't know how she puts up with him,_ Littlefawn thought.

She was just about to head to the fresh-kill pile to see if the rest of the Clan had left her anything for breakfast when she was intercepted by another brother.

"Littlefawn!" Hazelwater called from the other side of the tragically empty fresh-kill pile. "Redsun asked me to repair the warrior den roof and get some help; mind giving me a paw?"

Littlefawn sighed, mourning the breakfast-less day she was being consigned to and glanced up at the big brown tom. "Sure thing, Hazelwater. What happened to the fresh-kill?"

He shrugged. "Every cat got there first, I guess. Hey, Chestnutstep, are you going out hunting?"

Littlefawn's third brother turned from where he had been about to head out of camp. "Oh, yeah, I was. Actually, great timing. Smokepaw's been hunting a lot lately and I figured I'd give him a change of scenery, but the pile's first priority. Littlefawn, can you bring him along with whatever you're doing?"

She nodded, waving her tail to him as he headed out. _Just come back soon,_ she thought as her belly rumbled. "Uh, where is Smokepaw?"

Her call after Chestnutstep went unanswered, however, so she glanced at Hazelwater. He shrugged. "Don't look at me."

_Come on, Chestnutstep._ He'd gotten more on top of things when he'd adjusted to having an apprentice, but it seemed he was still quick to lose track of things. Or… cats.

"Smokepaw?" Littlefawn called softly into the apprentice's den.

A groan answered her and she peered into the gloom to see Cherrypaw roll onto her back with another groan. Plumepaw, her sister, snored next to her. _Guess they really are Shortflash's kits,_ she thought with a snort. _But why are their mentors letting them sleep in…? Well, I'm here for Smokepaw._

With a muttered apology, she crept into the den and poked the lump of gray fluff in the middle with one paw. The apprentice yelped at the intrusion.

"Sorry, Smokepaw," she whispered. "Time to get up. I'm your stand-in mentor while Chestnutstep hunts."

Smokepaw rolled over and stretched. Satisfied that he was awake, Littlefawn stepped back out of the den carefully and returned to stand by Hazelwater as he inspected the warrior's den.

"Needs more bracken," he mused. "The old stuff dried out and died so now it's too small to cover the den. We can go get some more; I think there's a patch over by the RiverClan border."

Littlefawn nodded. "Maybe I can take Smokepaw out-"

"Littlefawn, can I talk to you for a moment?" The interruption came from Forestthistle, Littlefawn's fourth brother.

She suppressed an exasperated sigh and turned to the spiky-furred brown tom. "Sure, what's up?"  
"Applepetal's been complaining about her joints and Deerpad thought maybe some fresh moss would help, but she's on patrol and Ripplewatcher wanted a warrior escort to go out gathering tansy, so I'm busy too," Forestthistle explained with an apologetic shrug. "Applepetal says she had trouble sleeping last night, so I wanted to get her some, but I can't today, would you do it?"

Forestthistle and Bramblewhisker had enough difficulty just convincing Applepetal that they weren't going to kidnap her daughters, their two mates Deerpad and Brindlethorn respectively, and Littlefawn figured she should do anything to help her brothers stay on their mother-by-mate's good side. _But there's everything else, too… no, I can manage one more thing._

"Yeah, sure thing," she agreed.

"You're the best!" Forestthistle exclaimed, bumping noses with her and hurrying off to help Ripplewatcher with the tansy.

It wasn't until he was gone through the bracken that Littlefawn remembered that the oak tree where the moss grew was across the territory, on the ThunderClan side. _Fox-dung. Well, I'll just take Smokepaw on an extra-long trip. Or perhaps I could send him out to get the moss and get the bracken myself…_

Smokepaw, right on cue, stumbled out of the apprentice den, yawning.

"Smokepaw! I'd like you to go to the oak tree and collect some moss for the elders!" she called out to him and his yawn turned into a groan.

"C'mon, can't I just use some from Ripplewatcher's den?" he pleaded.

"You're a spry young apprentice," she teased, "get it yourself. I'm sure your mentor will be back by the time you're done and then you can eat and go on patrol and hop around in a field of flowers or whatever apprentices do these days, but until then. Moss."

Smokepaw sighed heavily, which turned into a second yawn, then shrugged and padded out of the camp, giving a few half-hearted licks to his ruffled chest as he went.

The movement reminded Littlefawn that she hadn't had a chance to groom herself yet, but she shook off the thought and tried to ignore the little bits of moss clinging to her fur and flicked her tail at Hazelwater.

"I'll go get that bracken then, shall I?" she offered.

"Thanks!" he exclaimed, still absorbed in picking the dead pieces out of the roof of the den.

It was actually nice to cross the territory alone and at her own pace. Sunlight streamed through the tree-tops, dappling the grass and bushes green-gold. The air was alive with the scents of the forest, the grass soft underfoot, and a soft breeze blowing through intermittently. _And I can go at my own pace,_ she thought again. _I loathe slow walkers… Mapledawn._ She purred to herself.

Soon enough, she descended a ridge and passed a couple more thinning trees and came to where the bracken grew thickly, just barely on SkyClan's side of the border. Littlefawn nipped a few of the longer fronds at the base and laid them on top of each other, bundling them into one neat mouthful of ferns. Once they were stacked high enough that it was worth taking them all back, she ducked her head and grabbed them in her jaws.

She set off again, heading back through SkyClan's trees at an admittedly slower pace as the bracken blocked her view slightly. _Huh. Even when I'm not with her, just thinking about Mapledawn has cursed me to a slow traipse through the forest._ She snorted.

"M'back!" she announced, pushing through the entrance, back into camp.

"Great!" Hazelwater exclaimed. "Just finished clearing the dead bracken."

"Great," she echoed, then dropped the bracken at her paws, stupefied, when she saw what he'd done.

The warrior's den no longer had a roof.

"Great StarClan, we're going to need more bracken," she muttered, and turned on her heel.

…

When she returned with her second load of ferns, she wasn't the only one who had gotten back.

"Littlefawn! How's Smokepaw?" Chestnutstep asked from his position lounging in the sun next to the fresh-kill pile.

"Dunno," she answered, dumping the rest of the bracken on the ground beside Hazelwater. "Here you are."

"Dunno?" Chestnutstep echoed. "Where is he?"

Littlefawn opened her jaws wider, feeling them strain after being locked around the bracken for so long, then glanced back at Chestnutstep. "I sent him out to get moss for Applepetal's den."

"Oh, great, okay, well I was going to take him on patrol, so when he gets back, let him know that I'm over by the RiverClan border," her brother explained, flicking his tail toward the northwestern side of camp. "See you later!"

Littlefawn yawned as she watched him head for the entrance of camp, then cocked her head as he whirled around suddenly.

"Oops!" he exclaimed. "Um. I forgot to tell you, Bramblewhisker asked me to ask you to do Brindlethorn's afternoon check-up too because he's going out on sun-high patrol."

Littlefawn frowned and tried not to sound like a petulant kit when she asked, "Why can't you do it?"

"I'm going out on patrol too!" he reminded her. "Besides, you two are friends, right? Thanks so much, you're the best!"

The white and brown tabby watched her brother dash out of camp with a deepening frown. _I'm only friends with Brindlethorn because I thought I should make an effort to get to know the she-cat my brother wants to spend the rest of his life with. I guess Chestnutstep didn't have the same inclination… But Bramblewhisker's out on a new patrol, Chestnutstep's going out as well and I'm supposed to send Smokepaw after him once he gets back, and help Hazelwater with the den roof before he does more damage… and make sure Smokepaw's moss gets to Applepetal. And do Brindlethorn's check-ups._

A headache began to build behind her eyes but she forced the pain back and took a deep breath. _Okay. I can manage it. Just go to Brindlethorn first, and then I'll see what's going on with Smokepaw._

"Hey, Brindlethorn!" Littlefawn half-whispered the greeting as she entered the shady nursery.

The very pregnant brown and gold dappled she-cat pushd herself to her paws from where she'd been lounging in her nest and stretched with a big yawn. "Great StarClan, what time is it?" she murmured. "Feels like I've been asleep for days."

"About sun-high," the other she-cat informed her. "But didn't Bramblewhisker's morning check-up wake you up?"  
"I tried to sleep through it," Brindlethorn confessed in a conspiratorial whisper and winked. "Are you the cat he's deputized to come fuss over me on his behalf?"

Littlefawn purred. "Sure am."

Brindlethorn shook her head and rolled her eyes affectionately. "StarClan themselves would think he's the one carrying the kits around the way he's so anxious to know every detail."

A little squeak came from Ivyspiral's nest on the other side of the den and Brindlethorn and Littlefawn exchanged worried glances.

"Better get out of here before the kits start wailing," Brindlethorn whispered, beckoning for Littlefawn to follow her as she padded out of the den.

Littlefawn purred again and ducked out of the nursery, following the she-cat.

"Well, the check-up's mostly just what Ripplewatcher does every quarter moon, but three times a day because Bramblewhisker doesn't know what restraint is," Brindlethorn explained conversationally as they found a shady patch of camp to sit in together. "He asks about everything and usually tries to groom my pelt at least once."

The white and brown tabby shook her head with a purr, twitching her whiskers mischievously. "You'll forgive me if I don't do that for you."

"Forgiven," Brindlethorn answered, eyes twinkling. "But to answer the questions that he'd normally ask, I'm not thirsty, I'm not hungry, the kits were kicking this morning but now they've settled down, I don't need Ripplewatcher for any reason, I'm not lonely, I'm feeling a bit drowsy but I'm well-rested, and my biggest problem right now is boredom."

Littlefawn couldn't help a peal of laughter at how matter-of-factly she ran down the list of questions that Littlefawn couldn't even remember to ask.

"Well, how can I help with the boredom?" she offered.

"Stay and chat with me?" Brindlethorn brightened and gave her a hopeful smile.

_The only thing I can't give her is my time. _"Actually, I need to do a few other things today, but I'll come back later and maybe once everything's settled down I can chat."

The brown and golden she-cat sighed morosely. "Oh, alright. But I expect all the juicy gossip the heartbeat you get back."

Littlefawn agreed with another purr. _Right, because I know _all_ the gossip that goes on around this Clan._ Brindlethorn would be better off looking elsewhere for gossip; Littlefawn was hardly tuned into the goings-on of her Clanmates. _Unless she wants to hear about how much I love Sunshine. I could probably talk about that until she falls asleep… but it's not new and exciting. Sigh._

As the warmth that had bloomed through the easy conversation with the queen began to dissipate, the irritation at her brothers returned. Her gaze flicked to the fresh-kill pile, but she brushed off her hunger and decided she'd better speak with Redsun first. _If I have to do all these things because they're on patrol and I'm not, I want to know why I'm not on patrol._

"Redsun!" she called, forcing her tone to stay calm even as frustration built inside her.

"Hey, Littlefawn," the deputy greeted her, ducking out of Icestar's den. "What's up?"

Littlefawn paused, then took a deep breath and asked, "Why haven't you sent me on patrol? It's past sun-high."

The tortoise-shell cracked a smile. "I thought I'd give you the day off! After all, you must have been tired after moon-high patrol, right?"

The irony made Littlefawn wince.

"It… doesn't feel like a day off," she said under her breath as the deputy gave her one last friendly smile and padded away. _What do I have to do right now?_ She ran through the tasks mentally, praying she wasn't forgetting any of them. _Evening check-up for Bramblewhisker, moss for Applepetal, send Smokepaw out after Chestnutstep once he gets back, and fix the den roof with Hazelwater._

Taking a deep breath, she was about to return to the den construction when she realized that Smokepaw should have been back with the moss earlier. _Where is he?_

A sinking feeling began in her stomach. _I wasn't so busy that I didn't notice when he didn't come back on time, right?_ Hoping her worries were unfounded, she left camp and raised her muzzle, tasting the air for Smokepaw's scent.

She could tell he'd headed for the ThunderClan border like she'd told him to, but her mind wouldn't be silent. _But the oak tree's not that far! He should have been back twice over by now! Did a fox get him? Should I have gone with him? But then I wouldn't have been able to get the bracken- and Chestnutstep wouldn't have been able to ask me to check Brindlethorn for Bramblewhisker- then again, she doesn't really need all those check-ups-_

Taking a deep breath, Littlefawn was just rounding a bush when movement off to the left of her field of vision caught her eye. Her already-high strung senses shouted _Fox! Badger! Twoleg! Danger! Danger! Danger!_ but she recognized the forms as cats after a heartbeat.

She peeled away from the path of Smokepaw's fading scent that she had been following. _Maybe one of them saw Smokepaw._ But as she approached, she recognized the three cats as the medicine cat, Ripplewatcher, one of her brothers, Forestthistle, and-

"Smokepaw!" she shouted, failing to cover up the irritation in her voice.

The fluffy gray tom whipped around and flicked his ear in greeting. "Hey, Littlefawn!"

His careless tone made her nostrils flare and she stormed over to the three of them, trying to regain her composure as she went. Forestthistle had a pile of small yellow flowers at his paws and Ripplewatcher was foraging in the bush they were standing beside, ostensibly for more.

"Where's the moss for Applepetal?" Littlefawn demanded.

"Here!" Smokepaw exclaimed, seeming taken aback at her irate tone. "Sorry, I just saw Forestthistle and Ripplewatcher and thought I could…"

"You should have come back and told me what you were doing first," Littlefawn castigated. "I had no idea what happened to you! Applepetal needs that moss for her joints!"

Forestthistle glanced between them and a guilty gleam entered his green gaze like it had been his fault. "Hang on, Littlefawn, the moss was really just to make her more comfortable, it's not urgent… I'm sure Smokepaw was only-"

"He should have told me where he was going!" Littlefawn repeated, giving her brother a stare until he backed down.

"Sorry, Littlefawn," Smokepaw mumbled, ducking his head.

Looking back at him, she felt the irritation leave her and be replaced by embarrassment at how brusquely she'd treated the apprentice despite his minute transgression. "Smokepaw, it's alright. I- just tell me what you're doing so that I don't worry."

"I will," he assured her. "Can you bring back the moss? I was going to help Forestthistle and Ripplewatcher with the tansy!"

Sighing, Littlefawn bent down and grabbed the moss Smokepaw had acquired.

She walked back through the forest, listening to their chatter grow fainter as she passed through the trees, deeper into the woods until there was no sound but birds chirping and the occasional scuffle of prey dashing through leaves. With nothing else to keep her mind occupied, she kept replaying her harsh tone with the apprentice and wincing more each time.

_I'm so irritable today! What's wrong with me? I still haven't had anything to eat, maybe it's my empty stomach..._

She sighed and hurried back to camp with the moss.

When Littlefawn ducked into the elders' den, the red-and-white tortoise-shell in question raised her head and frowned at the tabby.

"Finally," Applepetal rasped.

Biting back a snapped reply, Littlefawn dropped the moss unceremoniously in front of the elder. "Here."

The elder glanced at her expectantly.

"What?" Littlefawn asked, feeling her irritation rise back up.

"Well? You're not going to make it for me?" Applepetal demanded.

_Make it yourself. _"I'm a little busy."

"Find someone who can, then," the elder huffed, settling back into her old nest and looking pointedly at the wall of the den.

"I said, _I'm a little busy!_" Littlefawn answered testily.

Applepetal sniffed. "Certainly. Young cats, they have two patrols to go on in one day and suddenly all any cat hears about is how much work they've had set on their shoulders and how _tired_ they are. When I was young, we-"

Littlefawn shoved back out of the den before she got sent back to the apprentice's den for boxing an elder's ears. _Ungrateful flea-bag._ Her ears got hot as she thought better of her words. _Wow. What's gotten into me?_

When she re-emerged into the camp, a wave of relief rolled over her when her eyes landed on her mate, who had just pushed back through the bracken tunnel, presumably after some patrol.

"Sunshine!" she called, already beginning to feel better. _But I guess I can't sit and talk to her because I have a dozen things to do. Mouse-dung._

"Littlefawn!" Sunfire answered cheerfully, hurrying over to touch noses with her. "You won't believe what the rock I found looks like- hey, what's wrong?"

The white and brown tabby blinked. _That was fast._ "Sorry, I'm just… really busy, can we talk in a moment?"

"Sure thing," Sunfire replied, but Littlefawn could feel her curious gaze following her as she dashed back over to Hazelwater.

Littlefawn's heart sank as she realized that Hazelwater had made very little progress without her. "What have you been up to here?"

He turned away from his… work? "Oh, hey Littlefawn! Yeah… uh, so this is… harder than I expected."

She peered at the crisscrossing fronds that he'd managed to make stay on top of the dead-bush warriors den. Most of them were barely hooked on to the branches, dangling into the den and providing no cover at all to the nests within.

"Did… you think to try starting from the sides, instead of the middle?" she asked slowly, turning her gaze back to him deliberately.

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Hazelwater exclaimed.

Littlefawn tried not to face-plant in frustration.

"How should I do it? Starting from this side, you think?" he continued.

"Whatever you think is best," she advised, then froze when a sudden flash of recollection struck her. _I forgot to send Smokepaw after Chestnutstep on patrol! Mouse-dung!_

"Okay, I'll- what's wrong?" he broke off, glancing back at her questioningly.

She shook her head. "I just- I'll be back, I have to go- sorry, I just-"

Her brother watched, perplexed, as Littlefawn groaned and sprinted out of camp. _Great StarClan, I knew I'd forget something! Argh. Chestnutstep's going to think I'm irresponsible and Hazelwater probably already thinks I'm trying to get out of den-repair duty. And I _still_ haven't had any breakfast._

She ran into Forestthistle, Ripplewatcher, and Smokepaw on their way back from gathering tansy and flinched when Smokepaw's face fell upon seeing her. _C'mon, I didn't make that bad of an impression, did I?_

"Smokepaw, Chestnutstep asked me to send you after him on patrol," she explained, ignoring the wary look. "RiverClan border."

Smokepaw nodded, darting a glance at Forestthistle and Ripplewatcher.

"Go for it, we can carry the rest back," Forestthistle assured him.

The apprentice dashed off toward the RiverClan border after dropping his tansy, not even bothering to say goodbye, or thank you for that matter, to Littlefawn. _Guess I deserve that,_ she thought with a sigh.

"Littlefawn, can you take his share of the tansy?" Forestthistle asked.

Rather than screaming, Littlefawn took a deep breath and nodded, then grabbed the flowers, the harsh scent filling her mouth. _Why couldn't they have been on hunting patrol? _she wondered, belly rumbling in agreement. Ripplewatcher was giving her a similarly wary look to the one Smokepaw had. _Great. Now half the Clan thinks I'm some kind of grouchy badger._

When they returned to camp, Littlefawn dropped the tansy in the sharp-scented medicine den and headed back over to Hazelwater once more. He'd managed to weave a total of two ferns into the dead branches of the warriors den.

"How's the roof?" she greeted, fighting off a yawn.

The big brown tom turned and gave her a grin. "It's coming along great! Sort of."

She nodded, blinking hard to try to clear her blurring vision. _So… hungry…_

"Littlefawn? Do you need some help?" Sunfire's voice snapped her back awake.

"Oh! No, no, I'm doing- g- great," she finished, yawning. "Just-"

She fell silent as her stomach growled.

Sunfire gave her a doubtful look. "You sure?"

"Perfectly great," she assured her mate, then yawned again.

Sunfire squinted at her. "What did you have for breakfast?"

"I woke up around sun-high," Littlefawn disagreed. "Slept through breakfast."

"Then what did you have for lunch?" Sunfire pressed.

Littlefawn dropped her head into her paws. "Thought I escaped this when Stoatclaw got killed by a badger. Maybe if I ask nicely, it can come back and kill the other cat acting like my mother."

Sunfire let out a sharp breath. "You only make dark jokes when you're really upset. What's _actually_ going on?"

"Sorry," Littlefawn said, remorse swelling as she reconsidered the comment. Sunfire continued to stare at her, worried, so the white and brown tabby straightened with a heavy sigh and beckoned Sunfire with her tail over to a secluded corner of the camp. The look of concern in her mate's bright gaze warmed her fur a little, but she couldn't shake the sense of exhaustion that tugged at her paws, mostly mental from keeping track of all the favours, but some of it physical, accumulated from her multiple journeys across SkyClan territory that day on an empty belly.

"I've just got a lot to do today," she sighed. "Bramblewhisker wanted me to do his sun-high and evening check-ups on Brindlethorn, Hazelwater wants help repairing the warriors den, Chestnutstep wanted me to take Smokepaw around with what I was doing, and Forestthistle wanted me to get moss for Deerpad's mother, Applepetal, so I sent Smokepaw out to do that and then he stayed out too long and Chestnutstep came back and told me to send him after him on border patrol to RiverClan's border and Smokepaw went gathering herbs with Ripplewatcher without telling me so I had to get the moss I had him collect and bring it back and then I realized I forgot to tell him to go to the RiverClan border so I had to go back and- I haven't even had any breakfast, Sunshine!"

"Okay, stop," Sunfire interrupted, staring at Littlefawn like she'd grown a second tail. "That's too much for a cat to do in a day, your brothers shouldn't have been getting you to do all that for them."

Littlefawn sighed. "It's not their fault, I agreed to it."

Sunfire stared at her. "Did you consider that it was too much?"

"It's not too much!" she defended. "I can do it all!"

_Except for when I forgot to tell Smokepaw that Chestnutstep wanted him to come on patrol to the RiverClan border and when I was being short with him, and I still haven't gotten a chance to help Hazelwater with the den-_

Sunfire gave her a look.

"Maybe you're right," Littlefawn relented.

"Of course I'm right!" she exclaimed. "Why didn't you say no?"

Littlefawn faltered. _Why didn't you say no?_ Sunfire continued to gaze at her expectantly, but the white and brown tabby found herself without an answer to give.

"Well?" Sunfire prompted.

"I…" Littlefawn swallowed. "I don't know."

Sunfire blinked. "Like.. you felt like you couldn't say no, or you thought that you could manage it all?"

"Both," she admitted. "I didn't realize how much it would be… or at least, I thought I could handle it, like you said. And I didn't want to disappoint them."

"Disappoint them?" Sunfire let out an incredulous purr. "Littlefawn, they wanted your help with den repairs and moss-collecting, they weren't pouring their souls out and pleading for your acceptance."

Littlefawn huffed a laugh. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right," Sunfire repeated, purring. "But why did you think just saying you were too busy was going to disappoint them? Especially since it was true?"

She shook her head, shrugging. "I- I don't know. I… I just feel like… you know, our mother took care of them all and then… well, then she died. And it kind of got passed on to me; Chestnutstep loses track of things so fast, Bramblewhisker's so overbearing, Hazelwater needs his paw held through most things, and Forestthistle never makes plans before he does things, so I was the most-"

Sunfire cut her off. "But they're all warriors! Littlefawn, you're amazing, but even _you_ can't manage five lives. Even if all of those things are true, they should be working on it themselves and not waiting on you to pick up the slack."

A little bit of tension left her shoulders as she recognized the truth in Sunfire's words. "You're right… again. It's their responsibility."

"They're allowed to ask you for favours and help with things, but you're not their _only_ source of help," Sunfire reminded her. "There's a whole Clan full of reliable warriors… well, maybe not Amberfang - she's an airhead - but there's a Clan _mostly_ full of reliable warriors that your brothers can ask for help. Just because you're their littermate doesn't mean they need to come to you every time they get a burr in their fur."

Littlefawn couldn't help a purr at Sunfire's remark about her sister, then sighed and buried her muzzle in her mate's golden fur, hiding from the stress of the day. "When'd you get so wise?" she mumbled into her chest.

Sufire purred and rested her head on Littlefawn's. "I've gained some experience at the ripe old age of nineteen moons. That, or I've been spending too much time with the elders."

_Well, she's not picking up _anything_ from Applepetal, or else Sunshine would lose her nickname… that she-cat's touchier than a hive full of bees in a river,_ Littlefawn remarked silently. "Well, whatever it was, thanks."

"Anytime," Sunfire promised. "Also, why was Brindlethorn telling me to go tell you that you owe her gossip?"

Littlefawn groaned.


	3. Smokepaw isn't observant

**Chapter 3: Smokepaw isn't observant**

"Eee! My little sis is growing up!"

"I _told_ you not to freak out!"

As Daisypaw, her younger sister, scowled at Sunfire and Littlefawn gave her a look, Sunfire couldn't help another squeal of delight. When the white and ginger apprentice had pulled her aside with a serious expression, asking if they could talk, Sunfire had been worried that there was something wrong. Then the truth came out:

Daisypaw had been padding after another apprentice for moons and was trying to work up the courage to talk to him.

"I'm not freaking out!" Sunfire protested feebly, unable to restrain her enormous grin. "I'm just excited!"

"Well, be less excited," ordered Daisypaw, rearranging her paws in a haughty shuffle. "Littlefawn, tell her to stop."

Littlefawn let out a snort, her pale green eyes both affectionate and exasperated. "Stop what? _Being_ Sunshine? Impossible. She'd implode before that happened."

Sunfire felt like she might implode anyway; Daisypaw's rushed admission, the fact that she'd wanted Littlefawn there as well, and just the idea of her little kit-sister growing up- it was enough to make any cat implode, Sunfire reasoned. Her reaction was _hardly_ a crime.

She _squee-_ed again. Daisypaw sniffed at her and turned to Littlefawn.

"I want to talk to him but I don't know if he likes me the same way," she explained, shooting a disapproving glance at Sunfire.

"Then ask him," Littlefawn suggested, to which Daisypaw responded by burying her head in her paws.

"I'd rather die."

Littlefawn nodded sagely and then glanced down at Sunfire, who was still fidgeting happily like a kit that was given too much honey. "Sunshine?"

"Have lots of cute kits and grow old together!" she squeaked.

"Thank you for your input," Littlefawn replied dryly.

Daisypaw glanced up through her paws and squinted at Littlefawn. "How can you tell if some cat wants to be more than friends?"

Littlefawn gave a little laugh. "Uh, ask them. Sorry. I know you're not… going to do that. Well then… you could talk to him without… directly asking and see if you get any kind of indication."

The apprentice heaved a put-upon sigh. "But I always get tongue-tied around him!"

_How cute!_ Sunfire thought, restraining another squeal, clearing her throat and getting to her paws. _But I should help her. And maybe generally screeching about how adorable this all is… isn't the most helpful thing to do._

"So you can't ask him and you can't talk to him…" Sunfire repeated thoughtfully. Littlefawn's gaze swivelled to her to evaluate how well Sunfire had recovered from her minor fit. "Well, that leaves one option."

Daisypaw gave her older sister a doubtful look, evidently sharing Littlefawn's skepticism that the warrior had recovered from rolling on the ground making small noises so quickly. "Really? What's that?"

"A _scheme_!" Sunfire exclaimed, her eyes alighting with mischief.

"Oh, excellent, I smell a device," Littlefawn snorted, shaking her head at Sunfire.

"I have it in my nose, too," Daisypaw chimed in, seeming to miss Littlefawn's point slightly but wanting to participate nonetheless.

Sunfire shook her head right back at Littlefawn, who flicked her ear expectantly at Sunfire, waiting to hear more about this so-called 'scheme'. A plan was forming in her mind.

"You just have to be in a situation where you two can talk without you getting tongue-tied," Sunfire explained. "And I have just the thing!"

Daisypaw frowned. "How could I be in a situation where I'm talking to him without getting tongue-tied? I get tongue-tied _because_ I'm talking to him."

Her older sister's eyes glinted as she continued, "Well, what's something no tom can resist?"

"Prey?" Littlefawn suggested.

"Kits?" Daisypaw volunteered.

"Getting out of moon-high patrol," Littlefawn guessed again as Sunfire shook her head.

"A good night's sleep?" Daisypaw said.

Sunfire sighed and shook her head again. "No, none of those. Being a hero!"

Littlefawn cocked her head, giving her mate a look. "Since when are you the tom-expert?"

She grinned. "I have many talents."

The tabby snorted but dipped her head. "If you say so. Why does it matter if they like being heroes? How does this help Daisypaw being tongue-tied?"

Daisypaw flicked her tail at Littlefawn in agreement with the question. Sunfire gave them a long-suffering sigh when they failed to catch on to the brilliance of her explanation.

"Daisypaw, you just have to get into a situation that Smokepaw can rescue you from!" Sunfire exclaimed. "That way you don't have to talk to him, you just need to put yourself in danger on purpose and then hope he saves you from it and also that he wants to be a hero."

Littlefawn narrowed her eyes. "You're not doing a great job of selling this, Sunshine."

"Put myself in danger?!" Daisypaw echoed. "That sounds… you know, _dangerous_. Is that really the best way? What am I supposed to do, catch green-cough? Pick a fight with a fox?"

Sunfire shrugged. "I was thinking you could get stuck in a tree, actually."

"How in StarClan's name is he going to save me from a tree?" Daisypaw demanded. "Explain the benefits of the ground? Knock the tree over? Pull me out of it with his tail?"

_Huh. _She hadn't exactly… considered that part. "Oh… right. Okay… um, maybe not a tree then. What if you got stuck in a bush?"

Daisypaw stared at her. Littlefawn had a similarly disbelieving look.

"No, no, hear me out," Sunfire insisted, suppressing a purr of laughter at the mental image. "Daisypaw, Smokepaw, and I go out on patrol. Daisypaw, you go to investigate a scent and get stuck in a bush, and then he has to try to help you out!"

Daisypaw continued to stare at her, then her eyes narrowed. "But… why wouldn't _you_ help me instead? Do you plan on just standing there and watching us while he's trying to help?"

_StarClan, she's eager to poke holes in my plans,_ Sunfire thought, then after a moment of quick thinking, told her, "No, I'll go back to camp and ask for help!"

"To get help saving Daisypaw from a bush that she's pretending to be stuck in," Littlefawn interjected. "Flawless logic."

"It is!" Sunfire insisted with a purr of amusement. "I'll tell Smokepaw that I'm going to go get more warriors to pull her out, but while I'm gone, he should see if he can get her out on his own. I won't _actually_ get anyone but you two will be alone and you don't have to say anything except to make him believe you're really stuck."

She waited for them to raise more concerns, but Littlefawn shrugged and Daisypaw was beginning to nod.

"It might work," Littlefawn admitted grudgingly.

"You think so?" Daisypaw asked hopefully, turning to the white and brown tabby. Littlefawn gave her an indulgent smile.

"Maybe. It can't hurt, anyway, unless the bush actually scratches you up," she snorted. "But it's worth a try, right? Unless you want to actually just tell him that you're interested in being more than friends."

Daisypaw shook her head vehemently. "I'd rather try the 'getting stuck in a tree' plan."

"Hey!" Sunfire protested. "It wasn't _that_ bad of an idea."

They gave her identical looks of skepticism and Sunfire stuck her tongue out at her little sister. "Whose side are you on, anyway?"

"My own!" Daisypaw declared. "Come on! Let's do it right now!"

Littlefawn purred at the enthusiasm and gave Sunfire a look. "Well? What's step one, then, illustrious matchmaker?"

Sunfire tilted her head. "Uh… okay, I'll go ask Redsun if we can go hunting, and Daisypaw, you ask Smokepaw if he'll come with us."  
Alarm crossed the white and ginger she-cat's face. "No! I can't talk to him!"

"Then I'll ask Redsun and Littlefawn can ask Smokepaw," Sunfire offered.

Littlefawn shook her head. "That would be weird. I'm not going on the patrol."

"Okay, then I'll ask Redsun and if she gives me the okay, I'll ask Smokepaw," she sighed. "Happy?"

Littlefawn gave her a grin. "Hey, this was your plan, remember?"

"Right, right, it'll work, I'm sure," she assured both them and herself. "Okay. I'm gonna go find Redsun now. Don't lose your nerve."

Daisypaw huffed. "I wouldn't!"

Littlefawn waved her off with her tail and gave her a look. "I'll keep her sane, you go ask Redsun about hunting." Sunfire shot them one last appraising look, not entirely certain that Daisypaw wouldn't be a bundle of nerves and excuses the next time she saw her, but hoping Littlefawn's voice of reason would keep her on board with the plan.

The deputy was by the edge of camp speaking with Hazelwater. Sunfire hurried over.

"But where should I go?" Hazelwater insisted.

"Wherever you choose, Hazelwater," Redsun told him, and by the tone of her voice, Sunfire guessed she had been trying to get through to him for more than a few heartbeats. "That's what leading the patrol means."

It seemed to be difficult for him to understand. "But… where do you think I should go?" he repeated.

"It's _up to you._" The red and ginger tortoiseshell's voice verged on exasperation, so Sunfire took the opportunity to interject.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if I could take Daisypaw and Smokepaw out hunting?" she asked. "I think I saw Chestnutstep go out on patrol earlier and he might have… um, not noticed that Smokepaw wasn't with him."

Redsun sighed. "Yes, that sounds about right. Certainly, why don't you go over by the outer border? Cloudfrost led another patrol down to Fourtrees and you'll have better luck away from them."

"Good plan!" agreed Sunfire and glanced at Hazelwater, then back at Redsun sympathetically. "Um… I'll let you get back… to it. See you around!"

"Hazelwater, take the patrol along whichever route you'd like, but please go now. The sun's almost half-way through the sky. _Sun-high_ patrol, Hazelwater," Redsun told him, taking a deep breath.

Sunfire left the deputy to try to wrangle Hazelwater into understanding that leading a patrol meant he could pick where they went, and crossed the camp to go find Smokepaw. The fluffy gray tom was lounging in the sun outside the apprentices' den next to a large flat boulder where apprentices often congregated on and around after a day of training.

"Smokepaw! Are you up for some hunting with Daisypaw and I?" Sunfire called to him, feigning a laid-back tone while trying to gauge his reaction to the idea of spending time with Daisypaw.

He got to his paws and stretched, then shook out his pelt. "Yeah, sure! Where are we going?"

"Outer border," she answered, turning and flicking her tail to beckon him to follow her. "C'mon, Daisypaw's waiting for us over by the maple tree."

They left through the bracken tunnel and headed for the spot where Daisypaw had initially drawn her sister and Littlefawn aside to tell them about Smokepaw. Littlefawn had left, likely returned to camp to wait for the results of the scheme, and Daisypaw was sitting alone in a patch of sun.

"Daisypaw, let's go!" Sunfire called cheerfully, trying not to remark on her little sister's adorable reaction of jumping to her paws and hurrying over, eyes bright. "There are lots of sparrows over by the outer border. You remember your bird-stalking technique?"

"I don't need to stalk them, I'll catch them by climbing the trees," Daisypaw answered, her whiskers twitching with amusement. "Find the nests and catch them when they come back."

"You'd wait for them to come back?" asked Smokepaw.

"Y- yeah," Daisypaw nodded, her gaze flicking back to Sunfire, half-panicked, when Smokepaw looked away and tilted his head up to the tree-tops thoughtfully.

"That sounds like it would take a while," he pointed out, eyes glimmering with amusement. "You would be stuck in a tree all day! Do you really like sparrows or something?"

"Yes." Daisypaw paused, then added, "I love them. They're my favourite bird. And they're easy to catch because they come back to their nests a lot to see their eggs."

"Like Bramblewhisker," Sunfire interjected with a purr. The tom's overbearing enthusiasm for checking on his mate had become well-known by his Clanmates.

Smokepaw purred. "He doesn't go back to _his_ nest, he goes back to _Brindlethorn's_ nest."

Daisypaw purred in agreement and opened her mouth as if to add something, then closed it again after a moment when it became obvious she had nothing to say. _She's… trying,_ Sunfire thought with a soft purr. _Okay, Sunfire, time to swoop in and save the day._

"Just don't try to eat Bramblewhisker," Sunfire teased. "He'd probably be chewy."

"Bramblewhisker is my least favourite kind of bird," Smokepaw put in, giggling. "Those feathers are awful for nests. So… furry?"  
Daisypaw snickered. "And he flies so fast it's hard to grab him."

"Ah yes, Bramblewhisker is quite the flier," Sunfire agreed with a purr. "With his… uh, _wings_."

Smokepaw and Daisypaw continued quipping about Bramblewhisker's imaginary rank as a bird-warrior as they padded through the forest toward the outer border. Sunfire only added to the conversation if it seemed like her sister was beginning to flounder. For the most part, she simply enjoyed the sunlight pouring through the leaves and the scents of the forest. _They're getting along. Ah, to be young again._

Soon enough, they reached the stretch of trees by the border and Sunfire glanced back at the two apprentices, feeling her heart swell as Smokepaw purred at something Daisypaw said, but remembered her plan. She quickly scanned the underbrush and spotted a big bramble bush a few fox-lengths away.

Sunfire casually steered them over to the bush, then stopped and looked back at them and gave Daisypaw a meaningful glance. "Hey, I think I smell a sparrow! You should check it out, Daisypaw."

The apprentice straightened up and gave her sister a sharp nod like she was being sent out into battle. "Yes. I will check it out."

Sunfire avoided wincing at the stilted acting, and kept a neutral expression and waited for Daisypaw to turn and head into the bramble bush. Once the ginger and white apprentice had disappeared into the branches, she craned her neck to see if Daisypaw had begun pretending to get stuck yet.

"Wow, I couldn't catch the scent at all," Smokepaw whispered to Sunfire. "You must be super good at tracking!"

She froze. "Uh, mmhm. I think the wind just changed so I'm lucky to have caught the smell… at all."

Thankfully, Daisypaw's alarmed call rang out heartbeats after. "Hey- uh, guys, I think I'm stuck!"

_Whew._ It sounded like after she got out of Smokepaw's gaze, her acting improved drastically. "In the brambles?" Sunfire called back, somewhat rhetorically, trying to imagine how she'd react if it was really happening.

"Uh-oh," Smokepaw commented, leaning over to look at Daisypaw. "Wow, how did you even get that stuck?"

Her sister had made her way to the centre of the bush, then looped some of the brambles around all four paws and fallen onto her side, ending up half-way underneath the thickest part of the brambles. As Smokepaw watched her wriggle half-heartedly, Sunfire restrained a giggle.

"Yeah, that's- you look really stuck," Sunfire added, smothering another purr. "Um. Okay, I'll go back to camp and get some warriors so we can pull you out. Smokepaw, you stay here and see if you can get her out on your own."

Smokepaw nodded. "Alright. Come back quick, she looks uncomfortable!"

"I am," Daisypaw agreed, batting one paw ineffectually, carefully not to accidentally pull her paw free.

Sunfire gave Smokepaw a little salute with her tail. _I… won't._ She headed back off the way they'd come but paused as soon as she was downwind and out of sight of the two apprentices - or more specifically, Smokepaw. After a moment of searching, Sunfire found a suitable nook that she could hide in to eavesdrop on the two apprentices.

"Here, let me see if I can…" Smokepaw ducked and padded into the bramble bush, then paused. The branches blocked her view slightly but she could tell he'd stopped. "Oh… uh, I'll- oh no."

"What's wrong?" Daisypaw asked.

"I think… I think I'm stuck too-" Smokepaw broke off and Sunfire heard the sound of rustling leaves, then… "Yeah, I'm definitely stuck. Great StarClan, I'm going to look like a bramble bush when I get out, I can feel them in my pelt."

"Wait, we're both stuck?" Daisypaw let out an incredulous purr.

_Oh no… Daisypaw, you really couldn't have picked a tom with shorter fur? _Sunfire adjusted her position and saw that Smokepaw's fluffy pelt had caught on the brambles and he was stuck halfway into the bush. While Daisypaw had made it look like the bushes had caught her limbs, Smokepaw's very fur was what was preventing him from progressing. _Great StarClan, what now?_

It wasn't like her schemes ever went _right, _per se, but she had to count this as one of the fastest screw-ups so far. Sunfire stifled a purr of amusement and tried to think of how she'd remedy this. _Now they're both stuck and I'm supposed to be fetching help. Maybe I actually _should _go back to camp and get help. Then again…_

"Next time, let's stick closer to RiverClan territory," said Smokepaw.

"But there are no sparrows over there!" Daisypaw protested.

"Yeah, and no big bramble bushes either!"

Daisypaw purred and after a heartbeat, Smokepaw joined in. Sunfire felt her heart melt and thought, _Yeah, I'll just wait another moment._ There was no immediate danger. Perhaps this hiccup might actually make it work better than she'd imagined.

"Any luck getting loose?" asked Daisypaw when their purrs subsided.

"Nope. You?"

Sunfire heard the branches rattle as Daisypaw struggled, then her sister answered, "I think one of my paws is coming loose, but I can't- can't see what it's caught on."

"Your left hindleg?" asked Smokepaw. "You're right, the vine is… it's like, snagged on- no, the other one."

"My other left?" Daisypaw echoed.

"No, turn it the other way," Smokepaw instructed with a purr of amusement as the branches rattled again. Sunfire peered through the bushes, trying to catch a glimpse of her ginger and white sister as she rolled around.

"Oh! I think I got it! Is it free?"

"Yeah, I think so!" Smokepaw exclaimed. "Good job!"

"Three more to go," Daisypaw sighed.

Sunfire grinned and withdrew into the bushes to head back toward SkyClan camp. _My work here is done._ And perhaps Daisypaw would even work up the courage to tell Smokepaw how she felt. _Not today though, I don't think. Oh well, at least she can talk to him. That's… an improvement._

A bird chittered above and Sunfire glanced up, considering catching it. _No, I should probably just get back to camp for help. _She could still hear Daisypaw and Smokepaw's voices through the trees and padded away, smiling.

…

Once she returned with Skipstep and Trilliumcharm, Sunfire found the bramble bush empty of the two apprentices, but quickly tracked them down to a clearing a few fox-lengths away.

"You made it out!" she exclaimed.

"With… some difficulty," Smokepaw purred, craning his neck around to lick down a tuft of gray fur sticking out from his shoulder. "Those bushes are dangerous."

"You're both alright, though?" Sunfire questioned with a meaningful look at her sister. Daisypaw ducked her head in a small movement.

"Yeah. We're- we're good," Daisypaw told her.

"Good to hear," Skipstep broke in. "Now let's get you two back to camp; Chestnutstep's looking for you, Smokepaw."

"I told him I was going out on patrol!" the apprentice protested. Sunfire stifled a snort. _That warrior would lose his muzzle if it wasn't attached to his face. I don't envy Smokepaw - I don't think I'd be a warrior now if Chestnutstep had been my mentor._

Sunfire loved all of her brothers-by-mate, but… they were certainly each _quirky_ in their own regards. Chestnutstep in particular got on her nerves; she could tell him something and ask about the same thing a heartbeat later and he would have already forgotten it. His name was probably for his rich reddish-brown pelt, but it could also describe the size of his brain.

"We'd better get back too," Sunfire told Daisypaw, nudging her. She hopped like she'd been in a trance and nodded.

"Okay, bye Smokepaw!" she said.

Sunfire blinked. "No- Daisypaw, we're all going back to camp."

"Oh! Right, I- I know," Daisypaw exclaimed. "I know. I just- nevermind, let's go!"

Sunfire let out a soft _mrrow_ of amusement and followed her little sister as the patrol padded back into the SkyClan camp. Things hadn't worked perfectly, she reflected, but Daisypaw seemed happy, if a little scatter-brained, and Sunfire hadn't meddled so much that Littlefawn would chide her for it.

_I hope._

When they arrived at camp, Littlefawn beelined for her with a look in her eye that made Sunfire worry that she'd misjudged.

"Mhm?" she asked innocently.

Littlefawn frowned a little. "Don't take that tone with me. You know what I'm going to say, I think."

"That I did a great job and I'm an excellent big sister," she guessed, rounding her eyes at her mate. "That I'm a generous and loving cat and you thank StarClan for every day you get to spend with me?"

"No to the first, yes to the second, but it's not what I was going to say," the tabby replied, narrowing her eyes at Sunfire.

She batted her eyelashes. "Then what?"

Finally, Littlefawn's defenses broke and she dissolved into purrs. "It's… very hard to be annoyed with you when you do that. But I really think we need to talk about what degree of meddling in your sister's life is allowed."

"She asked for my help!" Sunfire protested.

Littlefawn sighed. "Sunshine, I was there. But Daisypaw needs to figure out her own life."

Sunfire frowned. "But she wanted me to _help _her figure her life out! What's the harm in that?"

Her mate sighed again and looked around the camp, then pointed her tail at Plumepaw who was fetching a lapwing from the fresh-kill pile. "Plumepaw's angry with her sister because Shortflash told Cherrypaw she did a good job catching a squirrel that they worked together to catch and Cherrypaw didn't share the credit." Before Sunfire could ask what that had to do with anything, Littlefawn's white tail-tip swivelled to point at Ivyspiral, the queen who was sunning herself. "Ivyspiral hasn't been visiting her parents very much and they want to know how she's doing, but they don't want to get in her way."

"Okay, but what does-" Sunfire began.

Littlefawn continued, heedless of her interruption. "Darkdusk is sad because Cloverwhisker has been spending more time with her sister than with her and she was going to ask Cloverwhisker to be her mate. But what Darkdusk doesn't know is that Cloverwhisker's been asking Ebonystone the best way to ask Darkdusk to be _her_ mate."

Sunfire blinked. _Is this what being observant is like? _Littlefawn looked back expectantly at her. Sunfire shook her head, still confused, and Littlefawn gave her an indulgent purr.

"C'mon, Sunshine." She waved her tail, waiting for it to click in her mind.

"I don't get it."

"They're independent cats. They have their own skill sets," Littlefawn told her. "Plumepaw needs to learn to stand up for herself and communicate with her sister and father, not just sit around sulking about how they can't read her mind. Jaggedfoot and Rosejaw need to take initiative and ask Ivyspiral how she's doing, not expect the two-moon-pregnant-queen to be running around camp updating every cat on her condition. Darkdusk needs a bit of self-esteem and Cloverwhisker needs to be a little more aware of what other cats are feeling."

_Okay…?_ "What does this have to do with my sister?"

Littlefawn purred. "Sunshine. Really? Alright."

Sunfire flicked her mate with her feathery golden tail. "Don't make me feel like a mouse-brain. Get to your point."

"Sorry. Uh, what I'm trying to tell you is that Daisypaw needs to make mistakes and learn lessons on her own. I know that you want to help your little sister, and trust me, I love you for it, but sometimes apprentices just need to be awkward in front of the cats they're padding after, you know?" Littlefawn shrugged. "If Daisypaw can't even get out a full sentence to the tom she likes without your help, then she doesn't need a scheme, she needs to wait a while, and mature a bit."

Sunfire couldn't help scowling. "I hate it when you're right."

"No you don't," Littlefawn purred.

_Wait a heartbeat._ "If I was doing the wrong thing, why didn't you stop me?"

Littlefawn grinned. "Because you have to make mistakes and learn lessons from it the same as every other cat."

Sunfire groaned.

"Oh, don't be that way," Littlefawn teased. "You know I'm right."

"That's why I'm _being this way_," she grumbled, poking Littlefawn's shoulder with her muzzle. "Why'd I have to get stuck with such a know-it-all?"

Littlefawn purred and Sunfire felt it vibrate through her own body too. "Opposites attract, I guess."

"You're sleeping out of the warrior's den tonight."


	4. Forestthistle isn't two cats

**Hello!  
Just in time for pride month, I'm back with some gay fluff. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4: Forestthistle isn't two cats**

"Well, you're in a good mood," Littlefawn observed, suppressing a _mrrow_ of laughter.

Deerpad purred, wriggling around in the tall grass at the edge of camp. They'd just shared a couple of thrushes and the two she-cats were enjoying the green-leaf sun. Littlefawn had elected to just lie in the sunshine, soaking up the heat with her tabby pelt while Deerpad rolled around, exposing her belly to the sun.

"I can't help it; I love green-leaf," Deerpad answered, eventually getting to her paws and shaking out her coat. A ladybug tumbled off her pelt.

"That's good luck," Littlefawn commented, flicking her tail at the little red bug that disappeared into the grass. "Great StarClan, you look like you lost a fight with a bramble bush."

"Want to share tongues? Redsun's put me on moon-high patrol," Deerpad told her.

Littlefawn snorted. "And _that's_ bad luck. But sure—there's always that one spot on my neck I can't clean properly."

They settled down next to each other and began grooming. As Deerpad cleaned the spot on the back of Littlefawn's neck, the tabby said, "So, you and Forestthistle, huh?"

"Is it that obvious?" Deerpad asked, pausing to lick her chest-fur self-consciously.

Littlefawn purred. "Yeah, kind of. I think the whole Clan knows by now."

Deerpad looked embarrassed, but Littlefawn was nothing but pleased for them; she and Deerpad had been close as apprentices since their mentors, Willowbrook and Ivyspiral respectively, were littermates. She was happy to see that Deerpad and Littlefawn's brother were so close.

"How's Plumepaw's training going?" she asked, changing the subject in an effort to alleviate Deerpad's obvious shyness when talking about Forestthistle.

"Pretty well, I think!" Deerpad answered, brightening. "She's a bit… um, anxious, but I think that as long as I spend lots of time encouraging her, she'll make a fine warrior!"

"I'd like an apprentice," Littlefawn said, sighing. "I feel like I have a lot of wisdom to pass on."

Deerpad snorted. Littlefawn nudged her, her whiskers twitching with amusement.

"I do!"

"Uh-huh." Deerpad batted her eyes innocently. "Sure you do. Do you have any advice for an apprentice who thinks she's not worth training?"

Littlefawn's mouth dropped open. "_What?_ That sounds like more than 'a bit anxious,' Deerpad. That—that sounds really serious. Is she okay?"

"I think so." Deerpad sighed. "She just… I don't know what to do, really, but I think she trusts me. I hope I can be a good influence."

Littlefawn nodded but still felt worried about the little apprentice. Plumepaw had never struck her as particularly outgoing, but still; she'd never gotten the impression that the little she-cat had such deep self-esteem problems. _I guess it's harder to tell with quiet cats. _She remembered the first time she'd made a dark joke in front of Sunfire's sister, Amberfang. The memory of Amberfang's appalled expression made her twitch her whiskers in amusement.

"What are you snickering about?" Deerpad inquired, finally pulling away from Littlefawn's now-groomed neck.

"Oh, nothing," she answered airily, then asked, "Well, if you've got until moon-high, do you want to go hunting with me? You can bring Plumepaw along."

Deerpad shuffled her paws. "Actually… do you think you could go with her alone?"

Littlefawn cocked her head.

"I want to talk with Forestthistle about something," Deerpad confessed, lowering her voice.

"Ah," Littlefawn said with a knowing purr. "Say no more."

Deerpad ducked her head, embarrassed, but Littlefawn was pleased. _I can have an apprentice for a day and Deerpad and my brother can have their little… chat._ "Are you going to ask him to be your mate?"

"Actually, we are already." Deerpad lowered her voice even more, practically whispering.

_What is she so afraid of?_ Littlefawn wondered, amusement flashing through her. _No cat's going to be upset. _"That's great news! What are you going to talk about? I mean—you don't have to tell me."

"If everything goes well, the whole Clan will know soon enough," Deerpad purred sheepishly. "We're talking about having kits soon."

"Oh!" _That_ gave Littlefawn pause, although she couldn't exactly place why. "Uh… well, that's great too! That's… great news."

Deerpad didn't seem to pick up on Littlefawn's sudden change in demeanor and stood, stretched, then said, "So you'll take Plumepaw hunting? Forestthistle already asked Chestnutstep to take Cherrypaw out, too. It's a big help."

Littlefawn felt suddenly hesitant, but Deerpad seemed so pleased that she pressed it down. "Right! Yeah, I can take her."

"Great! You're the best." Deerpad licked her friend's ear quickly, then scurried off to go find Littlefawn's brother.

She watched her go, feeling oddly uneasy. _What's wrong with me? Can't I be happy that they're going to have kits?_ She pictured a litter of spiky-furred toms and dappled she-cats, but it did nothing to cheer her. _My brother's having kits. It's good news, so stop being a sour badger._ Sighing, she got to her paws and scented the air, trying to find Plumepaw. _I guess I'll have to explain to her that she's going to be passed around a bunch of warriors now that her mentor's going to get pregnant._

As she padded toward the apprentice den, her thoughts were on her own apprenticeship. _Willowbrook was so attentive. I don't think I'd be half the warrior I am without her. But don't I trust Deerpad and Forestthistle to train their apprentices properly, even if they do have kits?_ She shook her head at herself. _Then why do I have a thorn in my pad over all this?_

"Plumepaw?" she called.

The tortoiseshell apprentice peeled out of the shadows of the small cave that housed the apprentice's den and padded out into the sunlight, blinking her round amber eyes as they adjusted. "Hi, Littlefawn. Where's Deerpad?"

"She's busy," Littlefawn answered. "So we're going hunting together instead!"

"Oh." Plumepaw didn't look too crestfallen, which Littlefawn was relieved to see. "Alright."

"Follow me!"

The two she-cats left the gorge and padded into the forest. Even the scents of green-leaf weren't enough to distract Littlefawn from her dilemma of Deerpad and Forestthistle and their future kits. _Let it go, Littlefawn,_ she told herself._ It's none of your business anyway._ But inexplicably, it stuck to her mind, like a particularly stubborn burr. _What has gotten into me?_

"How's your ground-prey hunting?" Littlefawn asked in an effort to distract herself from her thoughts. A quick scent of the air told her there were a couple of squirrels nearby, probably fighting over the fruits of the oak tree by the camp.

"Oh… I don't know how to do that yet," Plumepaw admitted in a small voice.

"That's okay! We can hunt birds, instead," she assured the apprentice quickly. "Are you comfortable climbing?"

"As long as it's not too high." Plumepaw looked anxious.

Littlefawn nodded. "That's okay! Let's go to the apple copse. Blue tits and robins will sometimes flock there to eat the fruit and the trees grow low."

Instead of brightening, though, Plumepaw looked more nervous than ever. Littlefawn blinked. _But I accommodated her! What's she worried about?_ Whatever it was, Plumepaw didn't seem eager to share. Littlefawn knew from experience that it was annoying to be nagged, so she fell silent. Despite the scents of green-leaf and the beauty of the sunlight through the leaves above, Littlefawn's thoughts were stuck to Forestthistle and Deerpad.

_I wonder how many kits they'll have._ She thought back to her own kithood, rampaging around the camp with her brothers, Sunfire, and Amberfang. _Our parents definitely had a pawful with the five of us._ Despite the love she had for her brothers, she couldn't help hoping that Forestthistle would be spared such a large litter. _I know Larchwater and Finchleaf had trouble managing all of us. And their apprentices. But they did the best they could, right? I mean, we turned out fine. So surely Deerpad's litter will be fine too._

Resolving not to think anything more about it, Littlefawn turned her attention back to the tortoiseshell apprentice trotting along at her side. "Alright, here we are!"

Fondness swelled in her heart for the particular spot of SkyClan territory as they padded into the clearing. She remembered Sunfire's attempt to set up a nice evening for them with all the flowers and the chaffinches and her pelt warmed. It was certainly still beautiful in the summer, with the apple trees' boughs hanging low with the weight of their fruit, but the scent of the decomposing apples that had dropped off the tree was pungent.

_Hopefully it'll mask our scents._ She tasted the air, wrinkling her nose at the thick, sharp smell of ripe apples, and searched for one that was richer and livelier. _There!_

Littlefawn signalled to Plumepaw, and the apprentice pricked her ears. In no time at all, both she-cats had pinpointed the rustling in the leaves to the tree off their left, one whose gnarled branches split near the base to almost form two separate trees. Littlefawn scented the air with more care, trying to ascertain the nature of the bird. _Robin._

Plumepaw gave her a nervous glance, but Littlefawn held back and gestured to the apprentice that she should try to catch it. Plumepaw dipped her head, her tail flicking anxiously, then crept to the base of the tree and began to climb.

Halting just below the tree, Littlefawn didn't move a mouse-length as she watched the apprentice. Plumepaw hooked her claws into the bark and pulled herself up, no further than a tail-length as a time, and eventually began to follow the twist of the branch that would lead her to the little orange-chest bird that nibbled at the stem of an apple.

Littlefawn was holding her breath as she watched the apprentice make her approach. _I hope she catches it… It might make her a little more confident if she can bring something back to camp and say she caught it herself._ Plumepaw neared the robin, who was still peacefully pecking away.

Finally, the robin's head jerked up. Littlefawn could almost hear its little heart pumping away as it realized the danger nearing it, but it was too late. With a mighty leap, Plumpaw shot across the branch, her pelt gleaming like a red squirrel's, and slammed her paws down on the robin. It barely had time to throw out its wings before, with a barely audible _snap_, its neck was broken.

"Well done!" Littlefawn exclaimed, not caring that her call startled a couple other birds out of the trees. _Maybe she's confident enough to try in a higher tree._ "Bring it down and we'll—"

She was cut off by the sound of another cat's meow ringing through the trees.

"And _I _told you I knew I didn't bury it there! What a waste of time!"

It took Littlefawn a heartbeat, but she recognized the voice as Cherrypaw's, Plumepaw's sister.

Plumepaw jumped out of the tree, hitting the ground with a thud, but landing safely all the same. At the sound of her sister's exasperated cry, she cringed. Littlefawn's curiosity was piqued by the tone of the apprentice. _Isn't she supposed to be hunting with Chestnutstep? Why does she sound so upset?_

"Well, it's not like _you_ know where it is! Now we at least know that it's not by the oaks!"

The response came from Chestnutstep, Littlefawn knew immediately. _Hm. Sounds like things are not going as smoothly with their hunting trip._ She pushed out of the apple copse, glancing back briefly to make sure Plumepaw was coming along with her robin, and quickly tracked down their scents.

She came upon the two cats in a small clearing framed by birch trees, both with their hackles up. Cherrypaw looked particularly perturbed, the fur along her spine spiky from her discontent.

"It's not my—" Cherrypaw snapped, but Littlefawn interrupted them.

"What's going on here?"

Both of them whipped around to look at her. Cherrypaw's yellow gaze was fiery with annoyance, while Chestnutstep looked upset and unsure of himself.

"I caught a giant wood pigeon and then buried it to come back to get later, and we've been hunting for ages and we didn't get _anything_ else, so I was going to go back to get it and _he_ forgot where I buried it!" Cherrypaw exclaimed.

Littlefawn's gaze flicked to Chestnutstep for confirmation of the claim, but all the same, she didn't think Cherrypaw's reaction was very fair. "But... Cherrypaw, if _you_ caught and buried the pigeon, how come you don't know where it is?"

Cherrypaw's red and brown pelt fluffed up in indignation. "Forestthistle always kept track of where I buried my prey!"

_She was expecting _Chestnutstep_ to remember where she buried her catches? I'd be surprised if he remembers where his nest is._ But Littlefawn didn't say any of that aloud. Instead, she replied, "But you're not hunting with Forestthistle. You're hunting with Chestnutstep."

The apprentice flattened her ears. "And that's mouse-brained! Why am I not hunting with my mentor? His legs work, don't they?"

_This is what I was afraid of,_ Littlefawn realized with a sinking feeling. _Cherrypaw isn't getting along with this replacement mentor because she's used to Forestthistle._ And as much as she wished it were otherwise, she knew that _she_ couldn't just seamlessly slot into the mentor role for Plumepaw, either. _She's doing fine, but she's hardly said a word. Deerpad said that Plumepaw trusted her, and that takes time to build. If Deerpad disappears into the nursery, Plumepaw will have to be reassigned and build trust with her new mentor all over again. And how long would that take? She could be training for another six moons. That's hardly fair to her._

But Cherrypaw was the more pressing problem. Waving her tail for peace, Littlefawn said, "Take it easy, Cherrypaw. We'll find the wood pigeon. In the meanwhile, why don't you go hunt with your sister? Chestnutstep can assess you _from afar_," —at that, she gave her brother a meaningful look— "and I'll track down the pigeon. Okay?"

Cherrypaw still looked irate, but could evidently not find fault with what Littlefawn had proposed and ducked her head. "Fine."

Littlefawn followed the apprentice with her eyes as she stalked out of the clearing. Plumepaw scurried after her. When they were both gone, Littlefawn turned back to Chestnutstep. He looked morose.

"It's not your fault," she told him.

"I know…" he replied, heaving a sigh through his nose. "I didn't know she'd be so upset! And since when are mentors expected to remember where their apprentices bury prey?"

Littlefawn shook her head. "She had some kind of agreement with Forestthistle, it looks like, and there was no way you could have known that."

"She didn't tell me," Chestnutstep agreed. "I was so distracted by the minnows in the stream that I didn't see her bury the pigeon, and then she kept hunting and I followed her and…" He trailed off and heaved another sigh.

_Watching the minnows…?_ "Well, maybe Forestthistle can have a talk with Cherrypaw about showing her seniors some respect. I'd better go find that wood pigeon before a fox snatches it up."

Not waiting for Chestnutstep to respond, Littlefawn took off into the trees. _Sometimes, Chestnutstep is so oblivious that he's accidentally observant._ Not more than two or three clouds had passed across the sun before Littlefawn came upon the stream that meandered through the trees of the territory.

_Only two of the streams on our territory are deep enough for minnows, and there's a big crow nest by the other stream. No pigeon would flock to an area with crows around; their eggs would be stolen._ Sure enough, the heartbeat she crossed the stream, the scent of fresh blood sang on her tongue.

A quick scan of the clearing showed her an uneven patch of leaf-litter and dirt. Littlefawn nosed the debris aside and retrieved the wood pigeon, impressed by its size. _Cherrypaw wasn't exaggerating at all. This'll be a good meal for the elders._

She brought it back to camp, praying to StarClan that Plumepaw and Cherrypaw's solo-hunting had gone well. _Maybe that was just a freak argument and they'll be totally fine with new mentors, or with Forestthistle's attention split in two directions._ It wasn't much of a comfort, though._ Finchleaf couldn't manage it, even though he was a strong, good tom. If Forestthistle takes after him and has a big litter, what if he also takes after him in the respect that he isn't able to manage both an apprentice and a bunch of kits?_

As if the thought had conjured him, Forestthistle strolled back through the entrance of camp. Littlefawn sighed and spat out the pigeon, shaking her muzzle to dislodge the feather that had settled there, and made her way over to a shady part of camp. Deerpad and Forestthistle were deep in conversation, and walked together to the fresh-kill pile to take prey. Still talking, they brought their meals to the opposite side of camp and settled down together.

Littlefawn watched them, lowering her muzzle onto her paws, and felt torn. _Should I say something to Forestthistle? Isn't it his choice to have kits or not?_ But she couldn't stop thinking of Cherrypaw and Plumepaw._ Cherrypaw's so testy and Plumepaw so timid… they need dedicated mentors to help them overcome their flaws._

She was about ready to spend the rest of the sun-high feeling sorry for herself for being unable to think of what to do when a patrol returned. Redsun was leading it, and when the tortoiseshell moved away from the entrance of the camp, Littlefawn spotted a familiar golden pelt and let out a sigh of relief.

"Sunshine!" she called.

Sunfire bounded over, green eyes gleaming in the sun, and practically tackled her mate. Littlefawn let out a cry of "Oof!" as Sunfire's big paws bowled her over, but purred as the fluffy she-cat snuggled up next to her.

"Hello to you too," Littlefawn mewed, amused by Sunfire's enthusiasm.

"Agh. So tired. No talk, just cuddles," Sunfire answered, her voice blurry from being muffled by Littlefawn's pelt.

"Redsun had you sprinting across the territory since dawn?"

Sunfire mumbled something inaudible, burrowing deeper into Littlefawn's side. Littlefawn let out a _mrrrow_ of laughter, thinking of the deputy's unshakable energy and dedication. _I don't think there's a cat in this Clan who can keep up with her. I suppose that's why we have to take turns patrolling with her._

Despite the concerns that plagued her mind about Deerpad, Forestthistle, Plumepaw, Cherrypaw, and their future kits, Littlefawn was contented for the moment to just lay in the sun with Sunfire. Eventually, she heard a gurgling-rumble sound. They were pressed so closely together that for a moment she wasn't sure which one of them had made it, then it came again.

_Definitely Sunshine's belly._ Littlefawn twitched her whiskers, amused, and pulled away from Sunfire.

"Nooo, warm mate, come back," Sunfire groaned. "Heat my weary bones."

Littlefawn rolled her eyes at Sunfire's antics and carefully stepped over the prone she-cat. "I'm getting you some fresh-kill. Your stomach sounds like it's about to start a rebellion."

Sunfire made another protesting noise, but Littlefawn was already gone, crossing the camp to the fresh-kill pile. _Looks like Plumepaw and Cherrypaw came back,_ she observed, snatching up the robin Plumepaw had caught earlier in her jaws. Despite having gone most of the day on an empty stomach, Littlefawn couldn't muster an appetite. Her stomach had wound itself into nervous knots over the Forestthistle situation.

_Well, at least Sunshine can eat and maybe recover some of her brain power so she can help me figure out what to do,_ Littlefawn decided. _I'm sure she'll have some harebrained idea within a few heartbeats of hearing the situation._

She dropped the robin in front of the pile of golden fur that she assumed was Sunfire, and was proved correct when her mate's head popped up. Sunfire licked her lips when she saw the robin and set upon it like a starved fox. Littlefawn grimaced at the sound of the robin crunching between her teeth, but settled down next to Sunfire all the same.

"I need your help with something," she admitted.

"Oh?" Sunfire ran her tongue over her teeth and flicked her tail for Littlefawn to continue. "What is it?"  
Littlefawn watched as Sunfire began again to tear into the robin, then told her, "Forestthistle and Deerpad are planning on having kits."  
"They are?" Sunfire sat up, startled, and continued to chew between her words. "I didn't even know they were mates!"

"Deerpad's been oddly secretive about it." Littlefawn shrugged. "Couldn't tell you why. Anyways, I'm worried. Their apprentices are so young."

"Plumepaw and Cherrypaw, right?"

"Yeah. I just… I know both of my parents were from big litters, and we were a litter of five, so what if Forestthistle has a bunch of kits and he doesn't have time to train an apprentice?"

Sunfire blinked. "Well, Cherrypaw can be reassigned, can't she? Plumepaw will have to get a new mentor as well."

Littlefawn shook her head. "That's the problem, though; both of them are… kind of having a hard time. Cherrypaw's really argumentative and short-tempered and it seems like the only cat she gets along with is Forestthistle. And Plumepaw is so timid! She hardly said a word to me the whole time we were hunting together, but Deerpad says that Plumepaw trusts her and I wouldn't want Plumepaw to have to waste another couple moons building trust with a new mentor."

"Wasn't your father Shortflash's mentor?" Sunfire's gaze drifted upward as she tried to remember. "Or was it Ebonystone? Anyway, he was a good mentor, wasn't he?"

Littlefawn shrugged. "You'd have to ask Shortflash or Ebonystone. But he… he was a good cat, he just wasn't a great father. He was kind and supportive and everything, but he couldn't really give all five of us his full attention, and he had an apprentice on top of all that!"  
Sunfire nodded sympathetically. "I see the problem. You don't want Forestthistle to be the same sort of father to his kits that Finchleaf was to you."

"Exactly!" Littlefawn lashed her tail. "Forestthistle is just one cat! There's no way he can raise a big litter of kits and train a difficult apprentice at the same time."

Sunfire finished off her robin, let out a tiny burp, and said, "Then tell him that."

"But it's not my place to tell him if he can have kits or not, is it?" Littlefawn agonized.

"Littlefawn, your brother was Finchleaf's son too. He knows that having a bunch of kits and an apprentice makes it harder to be a good father, but…" A hint of mischief sparked in her gaze. "Your brothers can be a little dense, sometimes."

Littlefawn snorted, but nodded, acknowledging the words as true._ Forestthistle's probably the least mouse-brained, but he still doesn't have much foresight._

"Maybe you just have to remind him," Sunfire suggested.

"Maybe," Littlefawn agreed, though she still felt uneasy. "Deerpad was so excited, though…"

Sunfire smiled drily. "Well, she can be excited for having kits after Plumepaw and Cherrypaw are warriors. Something to look forward to."

Sensing that Littlefawn was still hesitant, the golden she-cat nudged her.

"If you won't do it for the sake of making Forestthistle a better father than Finchleaf, why don't you do it for Plumepaw and Cherrypaw's sake?" Sunfire urged her. "For StarClan's sake, if it was Shortflash that Finchleaf mentored, then the generations are really going in circles."

Littlefawn huffed, but Sunfire's comparison was apt: Finchleaf had mentored Shortflash while also managing his kits, and now Finchleaf's son was mentoring Shortflash's daughter and planning to have kits at the same time. _I suppose there's only one way to break the cycle. I have to talk to Forestthistle._

"Alright," she decided aloud. "Time for a littermate conversation."

…

As the setting sun began to streak the sky red, Littlefawn found Forestthistle. It looked like Redsun assigned him to guard the camp, as he was perched at the edge of the path that led up the side of the gorge, his gaze on the entrance.

"Forestthistle," she called, picking her way up the rocky path.

"Hey, Littlefawn. What's up?"

She took a seat next to him and a deep breath at the same time. "Well… I heard the news from Deerpad."

"I'm going to be a father," he murmured, nudging her. "Are you excited?"

"Ah…" she trailed off. "That's… actually what I came to talk to you about."

He looked away from the camp's entrance and blinked at her, puzzled. "Really? What is it?"

Littlefawn looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful night; red and yellow mixed above like a patch of brilliant tulips. The moon had only just appeared, hardly more than a milky outline through the clouds, shrouded by the sun's light. "Do you ever think about our father?"

"Finchleaf?" Forestthistle was still perplexed but agreed all the same. "Yeah, sometimes. Why?"

Littlefawn sighed. "Do you think he would have been a better father if he hadn't had an apprentice at the time?"

Forestthistle sobered a little. "Oh. Yeah, he… never had much time for us, did he?"

"He was just one cat," Littlefawn murmured. "Maybe if he and Larchwater had waited a little longer to have kits, though…"

"What does this have to do with me and Deerpad?" Forestthistle asked, seeming a little uncomfortable on the subject of their parents.

_No way to say this nicely._ "I think you're making a mistake."

"What?"

Littlefawn steeled herself and pressed forward. "I don't think you should have kits with Deerpad right this heartbeat. Cherrypaw and Plumepaw are really young and they need both of your unbroken attentions, and if you have a big litter of kits, how are you going to be both a father _and_ a mentor?"

Forestthistle looked completely taken aback and Littlefawn began to worry that she had made a mistake as her brother's green eyes rounded. "You think I would be like Finchleaf?"

"Our father was a good cat," she said firmly, "but you know as well as I do that his visits to the nursery were rare. I'm not saying you… you aren't _allowed_ to have kits, but think about it! They're a big responsibility and Cherrypaw needs your help. She nearly clawed off Chestnutstep's ears today."

Forestthistle's brow furrowed and he looked down at his paws. "But… it's not the same, is it?"

"What's different?" She was nervous that she was being too harsh, but Forestthistle was listening, at least. "Our kin have always had big litters, and your apprentice is young, just like it was for Finchleaf. I'm just worried that you're repeating history."

Forestthistle was silent for a long time. "You really think it's a bad idea?"

"I do," she confessed. "I love you and Deerpad, and I'm so happy that you're mates. And I"m sure I'll love your kits! But I don't want them to have the same kithood that we did."

Forestthistle nodded at last. "Maybe you're right. I want to have a family though, and Deerpad was so excited…"

Littlefawn purred, nudging her brother. "We're still family, aren't we? Besides, it's not like you have to swear off kits for life. It's just a few moons, until Cherrypaw and Plumepaw grow up a bit."

"That's true," Forestthistle agreed. "Alright. I'm going to go talk to Deerpad. For Chestnutstep's sake, at least."

Littlefawn snorted, amused, and watched her brother pad off. _Poor Chestnutstep. And I hope Deerpad isn't upset._ She looked up at the moon. _It's just a few moons, after all._ She stood and stretched, then realized that Forestthistle was gone. _Wait a minute! He was supposed to be guarding the camp._

She let out a groan. _Looks like I'm going to have to replace him. Serves me right for sending him off to do something while he was supposed to be doing something else. Not a foresightful bone in his body._

"Forestthistle! Come back and guard the camp!" she called, but there was no answer. _Great. Well, I did talk him out of kits and I'm sure that was a disappointment. I guess I can do him a favour._

She looked up at the moon again and lowered her head onto her paws. As the night air chased away the heat of the day, she began to wish, too, that she had a she-cat to bellyflop onto.

**That's all for today! Felt like I couldn't quite nail the ending but I'm pleased with the rest of the one-shot, and I hope you liked it! Please leave me a review and tell me what you thought about the chapter!**


	5. Cricketkit isn't a lion

**Dedicated to the anon on tumblr who mentioned it and made me think "Oh shit yeah I haven't written any of that in a while!" Check out my tumblr, warriors-kingdoms, for a bonus meme about the chapter :P**

**Chapter 5: Cricketkit isn't a lion**

Sunfire woke with a start.

She'd dreamed; or had it been a nightmare? A strange dream, at least, where she had been surrounded by much, much larger golden cats. She was supposed to lead their battle patrol against other giant cats, whose orange fur was streaked with black, but she was so small and she knew she was going to be torn to shreds…

Shaking out her pelt, she stood and circled the nest she shared with Littlefawn. Her mate's slender flank still rose and fell in undisturbed sleep, and after a few heartbeats, Sunfire sighed and settled back down next to her. The warmth of another body against her own and the sound of the crickets in the ferns outside soon lulled her back to sleep, and she didn't wake until Amberfang's almost-nasally voice pierced her ear.

"Sunfire! Wake up!"

"Bah! What?" She jerked her head up. The warriors den was almost empty, and Littlefawn was certainly gone from their nest. "Am I on patrol?"

"No," Amberfang answered, a gloating note sneaking into her sister's voice. Sunfire narrowed her eyes. "All the apprentices are going on a day-long hunting trip for Smokepaw and Stormpaw's warrior assessment, and the queens and elders need new moss."

Sunfire blinked, the last dregs of sleep retreating from her mind. "Okay? And…?"  
"You're last up, so you're on moss-duty," Amberfang told her, a smirk settling over her flat face. "Enjoy!"

And then with a sweep of her plumy tail, the white she-cat sashayed out of the den, leaving Sunfire to contemplate her new task.

"Fox-dung!" she exclaimed, and rolled onto her back to stare up at the criss-crossing branches that formed the roof of the den. _That's what I get for having strange dreams about big cats. What was that dream about, anyway? _She snorted._ Better go tell Ripplewatcher that we've got to look out for an invasion of lions. Lions! That's what they were. And we were about to charge into battle against tigers. Huh. Why was I dreaming about LionClan and TigerClan?_

Though she certainly would have rathered stay in her still-warm nest, considering her odd dream, she knew that Applepetal would probably only grow grumpier as the morning wore on. _If it's not already sun-high._ Instead, she stood, stretched, and then strolled out of the den into the sunlight.

As Amberfang said, Smokepaw and Stormpaw were standing in the middle of camp, next to Cloverwhisker and Chestnutstep, with their tails held high and eyes glittering with determination. Daisypaw, Cherrypaw, and Plumepaw were all nearby, equally tense and excited. Sunfire purred, then remembered what their outing meant for her. _Nevermind, they're a bunch of furballs for leaving me behind to do the bedding,_ she thought, only half-joking.

She waved her tail in greeting to Daisypaw and Chestnutstep as she passed, then ducked into Ripplewatcher's den to fetch moss. The gray-and-white medicine cat hummed a hello, engrossed in wrapping thick, glossy leaves around small bundles of stems and flowers.

"Looking for moss," she informed Ripplewatcher, then began rolling the loose bed of it that laid against one side of the hollow in a ball to carry. The medicine cat hummed again and as Sunfire carried it out, she shot Ripplewatcher a curious look that the other she-cat didn't notice._ Is she experimenting again?_

Fortunately, Applepetal seemed to be in a… neutral mood, and Sunfire's spirits lifted when Jaggedfoot made idle chatter with her. She was fond of the grizzled old tom; he had retired when she was an apprentice and Sunfire had often been put on moss-duty by her mentor, Redsun. _I think he was the one who told me about LionClan, TigerClan, and LeopardClan,_ she thought and snorted. _Well, I'll blame my hare-brained dreams on him, then._

Still, the morning passed pleasantly and even Applepetal thanked her when Sunfire retreated from the clustered ferns. The tasks might be boring, she decided, but anything could be improved with a good attitude. Next was the nursery. Sunfire made a quick detour back into Ripplewatcher's den to get more moss, was offered a few more noises of greeting from the solitary medicine cat, then she padded across the hollow to the holly bush that sheltered the queens and their kits.

Echokit and Flintkit were wrestling outside the nursery, rolling around tail-over-muzzle while Icekit shouted advice from the sidelines.

"Belly-chomp! Tail-slap!" she yowled, dashing around her littermates. "Hit him in the eye!"

Sunfire hopped back to avoid the kits as they thrashed past. _Tail-slap? I don't think Redsun taught me that one._ She purred with amusement as Icekit became fed-up and tossed herself into the fray, yowling a battle-cry, then she ducked into the nursery. _They must be six moons old by now._

Dropping her moss at her feet, she announced, "I've brought fresh bedding!"

"Oh, what are the apprentices up to?" Brindlethorn asked, shifting out of her nest and gathering her kits with her tail to let Sunfire clear out the old moss. Her kits had been born only a few sunrises earlier, and none had opened their eyes.

"Hunting assessment," she answered. "Smokepaw and Stormpaw will be holding vigil tonight, if all goes well."

"I heard!" Ivyspiral volunteered. This didn't surprise Sunfire; the gray and silver queen often made it her business to know the goings-on of all her Clanmates, and Smokepaw and Stormpaw _were_ the kits of her sister, Willowbrook. "How exciting. No, I don't need fresh moss."

Sunfire paused, her paw still extended to hook away Ivyspiral's bedding.

"I'm moving back to the warriors den," she explained. "Icekit, Flintkit, Echokit, and Cricketkit are having their ceremonies this evening, too."

_Ah, that would explain it,_ she thought, glancing back at the nursery's entrance where the kits' fierce cries split the air. "Oh! Congratulations. Do you know who Icestar's picking to mentor them?"

Ivyspiral cocked her head as Sunfire packed moss back into the dip in the sandy floor for Brindlethorn. "I would've thought you'd have all the insider information from your mother."

Icestar wasn't exactly the sort to gab to her daughters over an evening meal, but Sunfire didn't say that. She just waved her tail noncommittally and replied, "Well, you know. She's very busy."

The queen accepted that without comment and mewed, "She came by the other day to ask me. I said I'd like for Redsun or another senior warrior to mentor Cricketkit; he's very shy, you know. But Icekit, Flintkit, and Echokit will be fine with any cat—they're already so advanced for their age."

Sunfire repressed a snort. _They seem like every kit, but I'm sure you see things differently when you're a mother. They're… feisty, at least._

"Where's Cricketkit?" she asked, recalling that she had only seen his littermates play-fighting and not the little tabby himself.

"Probably hiding in the ferns," Ivyspiral purred. "He likes to watch his Clanmates."

_Little eavesdropper, is he?_ Sunfire thought, and dipped her head to the queens. "Well, enjoy the fresh nest, Brindlethorn, and congratulations again on your kits."

Brindlethorn blinked warmly, then gently moved her three tiny kittens back into the dip. Sunfire left the nursery and cast her gaze over the camp. The apprentices were long gone, which meant their mentors Cloverwhisker, Chestnutstep, Deerpad, Forestthistle, and Cloudfrost were all gone as well. It left SkyClan's camp rather empty, but Sunfire considered the warriors that were still there.

_Ebonystone, Hazelwater, Willowbrook, Mapledawn…_ Redsun had taken a patrol out earlier, which cut down their ranks further. _I wonder who Icestar will pick as mentors._ Sunfire couldn't help hoping she might get one of the kits. _I suppose it won't be Cricketkit, if Ivyspiral's insisting on a senior warrior for him. I don't think I'd mesh well with a shy apprentice anyway._

She stretched again, enjoying the sun-high heat, then peered at the camp walls. _Where's Cricketkit, I wonder? Spying on me?_

Sure enough, she caught a pair of round green eyes glittering in the fronds off to her left. Letting out a _mrrow_ of amusement, she stood and padded over to him. The leaves rustled as Cricketkit tried to sneak away, but Sunfire was too quick for him. She leapt into the ferns and cut off his escape attempt, then lowered her muzzle onto her paws to show him she wasn't going to scold him.

He was a skinny little thing, mostly just four long gray legs and a pair of enormous eyes, and he shrunk away from her, already stammering an apology.

"It's okay, I'm not angry at you," Sunfire promised, backing up a little to avoid crowding him. There wasn't much space to move if she didn't want to trample the ferns, but she doubted Cricketkit would take well to being dragged into the middle of camp. "I like Clan-watching too."

He gave her an immensely doubtful look, then shuffled his paws and declared, "I'm _not_, I'm hiding."

"Hiding from what?"

Cricketkit looked left, then looked right, and then leaned over to her and whispered, "From Mom. And from Icestar. My ceremony is today."

_He doesn't play-fight with his littermates and he's hiding to avoid his ceremony? What a strange kit._ "Are you nervous? It's really easy, I promise."

"I'm not _nervous_," he huffed, then looked down at his paws and mumbled, "Jusd'wanbearrior."

Sunfire's ears pricked, straining to hear the kit, but he seemed to be speaking to the worms in the dirt under him.

"What was that?" she whispered.

"I said I just don't wanna be a warrior," he mumbled again, but now that Sunfire was ready for his slurred, near-inaudible words, she caught them.

_That explains it,_ she thought, then stood briskly. "Well, you had better tell Icestar that! She's going to apprentice you to Redsun, and I speak from experience when I say that _she _doesn't tolerate any thistle-fluff from her apprentices."

Cricketkit's fearful expression only grew and Sunfire immediately thought better of her words.

"I can't talk t-t-to _Icestar!_" he half-shrieked. "She's so scary!"

Sunfire snorted. _Well, he's not wrong._ "If you don't want to be a warrior, what _do _you want?"

Cricketkit's expression cleared and his tail stood up straight, proud and excited. "A medicine cat! I want to be Ripplewatcher's apprentice. She doesn't have to talk to _any cat_, and she helps every cat without needing to be in battles and stuff."

Given that the first virtue of learning medicine, as listed by Cricketkit, was 'not having to talk to any cat,' Sunfire could see why it appealed to the little tom. "Are you sure? It's a lot of work."

He nodded fiercely. "I want to!"

Sunfire shrugged. _I knew what I wanted when I was a kit, even when no cat listened, so I suppose I'd better take him at his word._ She recalled greeting her father, Goldenfang when he returned from a patrol and excitedly explaining how she was going to have kits with Littlekit when they were warriors because she was pretty and very smart.

"Then you had better tell Icestar, because no cat except me knows," she mewed.

Cricketkit groaned. "I'd rather be a warrior than have to talk to Icestar."

"No, you wouldn't," she said, channeling Littlefawn's ability to deal out tough love. "Talking to Icestar is one conversation, being a warrior is the rest of your life."

Yet more horror filled Cricketkit's eyes. _Mouse-dung._ Sunfire fumbled for something reassuring.

"Ripplewatcher would be happy to have you as her apprentice," she mewed. "I'm sure she would. And you don't want to be a warrior, so you really have to tell her _something_."

Cricketkit shuffled his paws again, his tail switching nervously. "But… maybe I'm being silly; that's what Mom says. She says I'll like being a warrior apprentice once I'm a 'paw."

Sunfire snorted. "That's a load of fox-d—er, that's nonsense. You're cowering in the ferns at the idea of it! You _know_ what you want. Don't let your mom trample your plans." _The way that I'm trampling these ferns,_ she thought guiltily, trying to find a clear spot to sit._ Why are we even having this conversation on top of the camp wall?_

"Really?" Cricketkit was taken aback. "But you're _supposed_ to listen to your parents."

_Uh-oh, don't give him the wrong idea._ "Well—yes, you should listen to your parents. But you shouldn't let them decide everything for you. No cat knows you better than you do, Cricketkit." She poked his chest with her paw. "Stand up for what you want."  
He groaned again. "I can't. It's too scary."

_If only he'd had some prophetic dream or something_, she thought, squashing a snort. _Poor little tom. But on the subject of dreams…_ "You need to be a lion!"

"What does that mean?" Cricketkit demanded.

"One of the big gold cats with the fluffy necks," she explained. "Like this." She reared up on her hindlegs and let out one of the low, grumbly roars that Jaggedfoot had interpreted for her all those moons ago. Then she dropped back onto all fours and told Cricketkit brightly, "Loud! And very scary!"

The idea seemed mildly horrifying. "But I'm not loud! Or scary!"

"Scary is a state of mind," she decided aloud, putting on a very wise, croaky tone, then ordered, "Give me your best roar!"

Cricketkit frowned, then let out a high-pitched _murrowww._

_Terrible, _Sunfire thought, but didn't voice it. "Okay, maybe… be… ten times louder."

He repeated his 'roar' at the exact same volume.

"What in StarClan's name is going on over here?" Littlefawn's voice sounded from just outside the ferns.

Sunfire jerked upright._ Guess that patrol must be back._ "Uh, just… some lion-lessons."

"You're not allowed to start training him until he's your apprentice," Littlefawn reminded her, delicately stepping over to them.

"He's not _going _to be my apprentice," Sunfire replied indignantly. "He wants to be a medicine cat."

"He does?" Littlefawn looked down at the once-again-shrinking Cricketkit. "But…" She lowered her voice and put her muzzle to Sunfire's ear so the kit didn't hear her. "I think your mother's giving him to Redsun."

"I _know_," Sunfire replied, flicking her tail at Cricketkit. "That's the reason for the lion-lessons."

Littlefawn squinted at her, then down at the still-cowering kit. "I… don't follow."

Sunfire glanced at Cricketkit, who shook his head, then turned back to her mate. "He needs to talk to Icestar to ask her to make him a medicine cat apprentice instead, so I'm helping him learn to be brave."

"By making him yowl like his tail's being torn off…?" Littlefawn asked, skepticism flashing over her face.

"It was a good roar!" Cricketkit exclaimed, his tabby pelt fluffing up with indignance.

"So he _can_ speak," Littlefawn remarked, then purred. "Sunshine, why don't _you_ just talk to your mother?"

"Icestar's your _mom?!_" Cricketkit's incredulous squeak interrupted Sunfire when she began to respond. "But—but she's so scary, and you're so… squishy."

Sunfire ruffled her pelt, affronted at the accusation. "Yes, she's my mom. And Littlefawn, you're missing the point. Medicine cat apprentices need to be brave enough to tell warriors that they have to rest, run onto the battlefield to help the worst injured, and face Applepetal when she demands that they fix her aching bones. Cricketkit needs to start standing up for himself."

"That's true," Littlefawn eventually agreed. "But maybe he can talk to Ripplewatcher instead of Icestar, and then Ripplewatcher can tell Icestar."

Sunfire's visions of a kit strutting into her mother's den to give her a piece of his mind faded at the sensible suggestion. "I guess. Alright, Cricketkit, repeat after me. I want…"

"I want," he began, gaze flicking from Littlefawn to Sunfire uncertainly.

"To be," she added.

"To be."

"Your apprentice, Ripplewatcher," she finished, and when he echoed, she gave him a quick pat with her tail-tip, then shoved him toward the camp. "Okay! You're all set, go talk to her."

He yelped in protest and scampered out of the way of her nudging. "No! I can't, Ripplewatcher's scary too."

Sunfire let out an exasperated sigh. "How are you supposed to learn from her if you're too shy to say a word?'

Cricketkit frowned and he tucked his tail over his paws. "Dad told me it was okay to be shy."

_Too shy to speak?!_ But Littlefawn was the one to answer in doubtlessly a more diplomatic fashion than Sunfire would have managed.

"It is," Littlefawn agreed. "I'm kind of shy too. But there's a difference between being shy and not being able to stand up for yourself, you know? You don't have to talk to every cat at a Gathering, and you can just have one or two friends in the Clan, but if being shy is going to stop you from doing something you want, then it's a problem."

Cricketkit hung his head. "It's too hard."

"No, it isn't," Littlefawn contradicted briskly and Sunfire smiled. There's_ the tough love._ "I'll help you, but you have to try. What are you scared of?"

His face scrunched up thoughtfully, then he answered, "They're going to think I'm being silly. And Ripplewatcher will be angry. And Icestar will kick me out of SkyClan and I'll have to go live with Twolegs and be a kittypet."

Littlefawn must have read Sunfire's mind, because she immediately trod on her mate's paw to stop her from giving a mocking answer.

"I know it seems scary," Littlefawn said, ignoring Sunfire's exclamation, laying her skinny tail comfortingly over the kit's shoulder. "But trust me, Ripplewatcher hasn't been angry in a hundred moons, and Icestar would never exile you, even if you made dirt in her nest."

Cricketkit's eyes rounded, then he let out a yelp of laughter. "I would never!"

"Then you're fine," Littlefawn assured him. "I used to be just like you, but when you get as old as I am"—Sunfire snorted and Littlefawn shot her a look, before continuing to the kit—"you realize that a lot of the time it's your mind making up things to be scared of. Even if you _do_ become a warrior apprentice, cats are allowed to switch. It's not going to lock you into it for life."

"Really?" he asked. "But she said Redsun doesn't… doesn't tolerate any thistle-fluff from her apprentices."

Littlefawn shot her another look and Sunfire protested, "It's true!"

"Listen, Cricketkit." Littlefawn lowered her voice to a gentler tone. "Your Clanmates all want what's best for you. Even if Redsun's a little abrasive, or Icestar's a bit scary, they still want you to be happy. What you have to do is just tell them what you really want, and if they don't listen, come back to me and Sunfire and we'll talk to them for you."

"Really?" Cricketkit repeated, but his ears pricked. "Even if Ripplewatcher doesn't listen?"

"She will," Littlefawn promised. "And even if she doesn't, yes, we'll talk to her."

Cricketkit's pelt fluffed out with excitement and he headbutted Littlefawn's chest. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"But you have to try to talk to her first," Littlefawn reminded him, purring.

"Be a lion!" Sunfire exclaimed.

Cricketkit let out another high-pitched roar, then dashed out of the camp wall, his gray tail streaming out behind him as he charged through the camp toward Ripplewatcher's den. Sunfire let out a _mrrow_ of amusement and even Littlefawn's pale green eyes sparkled with good humour.

"Who knew all it took was offering back-up?" Littlefawn thought aloud.

"No, I think it was the lion-lessons that did it," Sunfire replied, snorting. "Seriously, though, I think he just needed to know that some cat was in his corner, you know? From the sounds of it, Ivyspiral wasn't really listening to him when he told her what he wanted."

Littlecloud hummed sympathetically. "You'd make a good mother, then."

"Of course I would!" Sunfire exclaimed, finally stepping out of the camp wall and shooting a guilty look at the squashed ferns. "You know, I decided when I was a kit that I wanted to have kits with you when we were warriors."

Littlefawn snorted. "Really?"

"It's true!" she defended, then purred. "Look how that turned out."

Littlefawn's answering purr warmed Sunfire's chest. "Yeah, well, like the elders say, cats make plans and StarClan purrs. I'm sure we could figure something out, though. Steal some kittypet kits."

"Well, let's not resort to kit-napping just yet," Sunfire snorted.

"I think your mother's giving you one of Cricketkit's siblings," Littlefawn said thoughtfully.

"Jealous?" Sunfire teased. It was becoming common knowledge in SkyClan that Littlefawn was desperate for an apprentice. Only Icestar seemed to be unaware. _Maybe she'll get one of her brother's kits._ That would be another six moons, though.

"A little," Littlefawn admitted, sighing. They padded over to the fresh-kill pile together to pick out something to eat before the ceremony. "For StarClan's sake, Chestnutstep's apprentice is becoming a _warrior_, if he doesn't fail his assessment, and I wouldn't ever have called him mentor-material."

Sunfire made a sympathetic noise and nudged Littlefawn. "I'm sure Icestar's just waiting to find the perfect kit for you. Wouldn't you like one of Bramblewhisker's?"

Littlefawn sighed again. "Yeah, but they're so young."

"Maybe I'll die in a tragic accident and you can finish training my apprentice," Sunfire suggested.

"That makes me feel so much better," Littlefawn mewed dryly, but purred. "Thanks. I don't mean to complain, I just… really want to be a mentor."

"I know." Sunfire nudged her. "You can come training with me and my apprentice lots."

Littlefawn brightened a little and they settled down to eat. The rest of the afternoon passed idly. Cricketkit reappeared from Ripplewatcher's den at some point, his tail still sticking straight up, and he bounded over to the nursery, giving them a wave with his tail as he passed. The way his eyes glowed made it clear to Sunfire that it had been a success. Their peace was broken up when Daisypaw returned with the rest of the apprentices and dashed over to her sister and Littlefawn to tell her all about the assessment. She had been paired with Smokepaw for group-hunting, and it had gone _so_ well, and Smokepaw caught so much, and she was absolutely certain he'd be made a warrior, and what did she think Smokepaw's warrior name would be?

"Smokefrost, maybe, for his father," Littlefawn suggested. Icestar was partial to legacy-naming.

"That sounds so good!" Daisypaw exclaimed. "I should tell him."

Then she was gone again and Sunfire snorted. "If you don't get one of Brindlethorn's, I'm sure Daisypaw will be expecting Smokepaw's kits when they're both warriors."

"With my luck, Daisypaw will have an apprentice before me," Littlefawn sighed.

"I'd box my mother's ears," Sunfire declared.

Littlefawn purred at the mental image and Sunfire nudged her.

"C'mon, I think the ceremony's starting."

They stretched and Sunfire quickly pawed dirt over the bones, then the two she-cats joined the rest of SkyClan under the hawthorn tree. Icestar's white pelt was lit by the evening sun, dying the entire camp reddish-gold.

Smokepaw and Stormpaw stood, proud as mother hens, just beneath Icestar's branch, with their identical fluffy gray pelts groomed sleek and uniform. Smokepaw's feathery tail whisked over the earth, while Stormpaw was stock still, though the same excitement gleamed in both pairs of blue and amber eyes. Their mentors stood next to them, just as proud. Ivyspiral herded her own group of gray-furred kits to stand under Icestar. _All kits of Icestar's littermates, _it occurred to Sunfire at that moment. _Good thing I inherited my father's fur or we'd be overrun with white and gray cats._

"It is my honour to present SkyClan with two new warriors and four new apprentices," Icestar announced, and waved her tail for the two soon-to-be-warriors to climb up on to the branch next to her. "Smokepaw, Stormpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," the brothers answered.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Stormpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Stormbrook for your intelligence and your initiative. Smokepaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Smokewhisker for your bravery and your determination. StarClan honours you both, and we welcome you as full warriors of SkyClan!"

None cheered louder than Daisypaw, but Sunfire did her best to call both names at least a few times. Smokewhisker launched himself off the branch, nearly crashing into his father, Cloudfrost, and Stormbrook followed after to greet him and Willowbrook.

Icestar dipped her head, eyes shining with warmth as she regarded her Clan. Then she waved her tail for silence and beckoned for Icekit, Flintkit, Echokit, and Cricketkit to come forward. _Moment of truth,_ Sunfire thought, but she was quite sure that Cricketkit was going to get what he wanted from the way his tail-tip flicked excitedly.

"You have all reached the age of six moons," Icestar began as they clawed their way up the trunk of the tree. Ivyspiral nudged Echokit as she hung off the bark a tail-length up, tail lashing. "And you will all be known as Icepaw, Flintpaw, Echopaw, and Cricketpaw until you receive your full names."

Icepaw stepped forward confidently, and Icestar's sharp yellow gaze found Sunfire's in the crowd. "Icepaw, your mentor will be Sunfire. Sunfire, you were taught well by Redsun, and I have every confidence you will pass on your energy and dedication to your new apprentice."

_She _had_ to give me the one named after her, huh?_ But Sunfire purred, thinking of 'belly-chomp,' and with a mighty leap, launched herself up to the branch next to the new apprentices and her mother. _It's getting crowded up here._ Icepaw looked on the verge of exploding with excitement and nearly bruised Sunfire's nose when she shoved her muzzle forward to touch noses with her. Sunfire gave her a quick nod, and whispered,

"I'll do my best! We'll have lots of fun together, I'm sure."

Then she quickly scrambled off the branch to make way for the other new mentors. Amberfang and Darkdusk were called up to mentor Echopaw and Flintpaw, respectively, then at last, Icestar turned to Cricketpaw.

"Ripplewatcher has let me know that it's Cricketpaw's wish to become a medicine cat apprentice," she began, blinking kindly down at the little tom. He lifted his chin, though Sunfire thought she could detect a little tremble in his whiskers at his proximity to the 'very scary' leader of SkyClan. "And so, Cricketpaw, your mentor will be Ripplewatcher. I hope she teaches you her wisdom and patience. Ripplewatcher, you and I have led this Clan for many moons together and I know that you'll be a fine mentor for Cricketpaw."

The medicine cat wound her way up the trunk of the hawthorn tree, then touched her nose to Cricketpaw's. He seemed significantly less terrified of the other she-cat, and Sunfire knew that he'd manage alright.

"Of course, Icestar. I'm happy to have another face in the den," Ripplewatcher murmured.

Littlefawn snorted next to her and Sunfire twitched her whiskers, agreeing with the sentiment of her mate. _I don't know how true that is. _Ripplewatcher was very… solitary._ But if Cricketpaw doesn't want to talk to any cat, then I'm sure they'll suit each other well._

The golden she-cat craned her neck, seeking out Ivyspiral's wiry form in the crowd of her Clanmates. _What does she think of this?_ Unexpectedly, the queen seemed perfectly delighted. _I guess once _Icestar_ says he should be a medicine cat, she suddenly thinks it's a great idea._ Sunfire shook her head, but still felt a pang of relief. _At least she won't be angry with her son. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that she's pleased to have a medicine cat-in-training amongst her kits._

Cricketpaw, for his part, was bursting with as much pride as Icepaw, and when he hopped off the branch, he bee-lined for Littlefawn and Sunfire.

"Thank you, Littlefawn!" he exclaimed. "You saved my life."

The tabby snorted. "I wouldn't go quite so far. You did it all yourself."

Cricketpaw shrugged modestly. "Maybe. But I don't know if I would've said anything if you hadn't talked some sense into me."

"Where's _my_ thank you?" Sunfire protested.

"Roar," Cricketpaw replied with a twitch of his whiskers.

Sunfire gasped, faking outrage, and said, "The heartbeat he's an apprentice, suddenly he's giving cheek to all his superiors!"

Littlefawn purred. "He's a medicine cat, you've got to listen to him now. And you heard the tom, _I _helped."

"_Apprentice_," Sunfire reminded her, pelt fluffing indignantly.

Cricketpaw's tail curled up in amusement at the two she-cats' squabbling. "I should go see my parents. But thank you _both_, and I'll save you the all soft moss."

They watched him run off to Ivyspiral and Skipstep fondly. Sunfire eyed her mate curiously. _She would make a good mom. Better than Ivyspiral, at least._ Although, she didn't doubt Littlefawn would be as proud of any kits of theirs.

Icepaw nearly careened into them as she bounded over, eyes glowing. "Okay, mentor, what are we doing first?"

"Sleeping," Sunfire suggested, a yawn stretching her jaws wide open.

"That's boring!" Icepaw exclaimed.

Sunfire frowned at her new apprentice. "That's no way to talk to one of your elders! Great StarClan, a whole litter full of cheeky apprentices. Why don't you go ask Cricketpaw for some moss to make yourself a den in the apprentice's den?"

Icepaw leapt to her feet again, enthusiasm flaring back up. "That's right! No more holly bush for me; it's ferns from now on. Thanks, mentor! See you tomorrow!"

And then she was off like a shot.

"Okay, I take it back," Littlefawn _mrrow_ed as Sunfire sagged. "I don't envy you at _all_."

"Let's get some rest," Sunfire answered with a long sigh. "I think I'm going to need it."


End file.
